There was much better news for injured Packers offensive tackle Derek Sherrod. The 2011 first-round pick broke his leg as a rookie and missed the entire 2012 season.

Fourteen months after the gruesome injury, however, Sherrod is almost fully recovered.

"Sherrod is there every day; I see him in the training room every single day," McCarthy said. "The surgery he feels is a success and what he needed. As far as a timetable, I haven't done very well trying to speculate on when guys are coming back or not, but I hope he can work during the OTAs."

The OTAs (offseason training activities) aren't officially scheduled yet, but those workout sessions will likely take place in late May.

With Sherrod set to return, he likely will challenge incumbent starter Marshall Newhouse for the starting left tackle position. Sherrod's return to full health and recent positive progress will also lessen the immediate need for Packers general manager Ted Thompson to address the team's offensive tackle spot in the upcoming draft.

"I still have a lot of confidence that when (Sherrod) does have the opportunity, he'll be a productive player for us," McCarthy said.

fox sports WI wrote:

So far, yes.

He will have missed about 2 years if he is PUPed this season, more if he lands on IR.

I getting the Justin Harrell flashbacks.

I just don't think he comes back from this leg problem.

Originally Posted by: RajiRoar 

Recovery Outlook

Merely saying that Sherrod’s recovery is murky right now is an understatement. There are positives signs present right now, such as Mike McCarthy stating that he sees Sherrod in the training room every day and positive reports about how his surgery was successful, but this injury has lingered for a long time. Sherrod will need to show that he can stay healthy and that he has not acquired too much rust from his significant time away from the football field. It’s not impossible, but it means that the Packers and their fans will have to wait until at least OTA’s to get a good idea of where Sherrod is at right now.

2013 Roster Preview

The bottom line is that it is way too early to give up on Sherrod, and thus he will have a spot on the roster in 2013. While looking at his situation it’s easy to conclude that the Packers have another player like Justin Harrell on their hands, a first round draft pick who seems to spend his entire career ridden with injuries and disappointment and simply soaking up a roster space due to his draft status, but jumping to this conclusion ignores just how the Packers and Sherrod have arrived at where they are with him right now. Sherrod has not had the benefit of any OTA’s, minicamps, rookie minicamps, or even offseason training sessions due to his health or the labor situation of the NFL. He has not had any meaningful snaps at his most natural position, left tackle. He has not been a part of a real competition for that position either. As such his time with the Packers has resulted in him being forced into foreign positions on the line with little to no coaching and preparation. This means that he has a lot to prove, but it also means he has yet to prove that he is not cut out for the NFL either.