Eagles Today

Eagles' LB Ahead Of Schedule After Knee Surgery

Eagles' second-year linebacker/fullback Ben VanSumeren underwent surgery from renowned orthopaedist Neal ElAttrache.

John McMullen

Philadelphia Eagles linebacker Ben VanSumeren (57).
Philadelphia Eagles linebacker Ben VanSumeren (57). / Eric Hartline-Imagn Images
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PHILADELPHIA - Injured Eagles linebacker/fullback Ben VanSumeren is back in South Philadelphia and ahead of his rehab schedule after undergoing season-ending knee surgery from renowned orthopaedist Neal ElAttrache earlier this month.

After finishing a rehab session at the NovaCare Complex, VanSumeren was wearing a large brace on his right leg and using one crutch.

A doctor to the stars, ElAttrache is regarded as one of the top surgeons in the country. He also did knee surgery for Eagles’ star running back Saquon Barkley and previously worked on Los Angeles Lakers legend Kobe Bryant.

Earlier today it was revealed that ElAttrache also performed the knee surgery on talented Dallas Cowboys linebacker DeMarvion Overshown.

VanSumeren noted that immediately started he started his rehab in Southern California with others who’ve had surgery from ElAttrache, including Los Angeles Dodgers superstar Shohei Ohtani and actress Sandra Bullock. 

A core special-teamer, backup linebacker, and fullback, VanSumeren is one of the Eagles’ more versatile players who played in 213 special teams snaps and 22 more on offense before being injured at practice on Nov. 29, two days before the Eagles win over Baltimore on Dec. 1. 

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John McMullen
JOHN MCMULLEN

John McMullen is a veteran reporter who has covered the NFL for over two decades. The current NFL insider for JAKIB Media, John is the former NFL Editor for The Sports Network where his syndicated column was featured in over 200 outlets including the Los Angeles Times, Chicago Tribune, and Miami Herald. He was also the national NFL columnist for Today's Pigskin as well as FanRag Sports. McMullen has covered the Eagles on a daily basis since 2016, first for ESPN South Jersey and now for Eagles Today on SI.com's FanNation. You can listen to John, alongside legendary sports-talk host Jody McDonald every morning from 8-10 on ‘Birds 365,” streaming live on YouTube.com. John is also the host of his own show "Extending the Play" on AM1490 in South Jersey and part of 6ABC.com's live postgame show after every Eagles game. You can reach him at jmcmullen44@gmail.com or on Twitter @JFMcMullen

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