Taken in the second round of the 2022 NFL Draft by the Washington Commanders, defensive tackle Phidarian Mathis was ready to take his chance.
However, the football gods can be cruel at times, and in his first-ever start against the Jacksonville Jaguars, Mathis suffered a knee injury that would put a very early end to his season.
Spending all of your rookie season on the injury list isn't how Mathis wanted to start his NFL career, and as training camp moves through to its second week, he has reflected on his injury and now has a newfound appreciation for the role he's been given.
"It was long, it was kind of heartbreaking, just for the first game to go out like that," Mathis said. "But at the same time, it was a big humbling experience, just sitting out, getting to watch those guys go out every Sunday and play. It was like a humble experience for me. It made me look at the game differently. You just never know when it's your last play, so you got to take everything serious. Never take this game for granted.”
Now working his way back in training camp, Mathis has been seen in the defensive line group that consists of Chase Young, Daron Payne, Jonathan Allen, and Montez Sweat in what is a formidable lineup.
While Mathis has been stuffed at the line several times, it is all a learning curve for the former Alabama star.
With Jack Del Rio's defense ranked seventh last season without Mathis or Young, adding those two back into the rotation could give opposing defenses headaches.
While Mathis was drafted relatively high, now he has to prove again that he is the player that Washington drafted in 2022.
It might be early days still, but we get the sense that the hulking 6-4, 312-pound tackle is ready to finally kickstart his NFL career.
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