Ten weeks later, Skattebo said he is on schedule and will soon start “upping” his speed. The main thing is getting back the upward movement of his foot, known as dorsiflexion, after being “stuck” in a boot for eight weeks.

Training camp is his ultimate goal for a return date, if not earlier for spring practices.

“I’ve kind of found different ways to show myself and be who I am (in that time), Skattebo said. “The opportunities that have come from that have been awesome. Obviously, the main thing is football, so I’ll get back to that when I’m ready to go. It’s football from there on out.”

There is no doubt that he will be back to 100 percent.

“That’s not even a question,” Skattebo said. “I’m going to be back. I’ve played seven games in the NFL and I got hurt. There’s a long road ahead. That is not going to stop me.”

Then he can start helping his team on the field again as opposed to providing just moral support.

“It sucked because you can’t be out there to help,” Skattebo said. “When you can’t do something to make sure that your team is in a better position to win or you can’t contribute at all other than having the energy on the sidelines and making sure the guys in the building have a positive mindset, it’s hard to be in that situation. But I tried to take it as best as I could.”

The rookies will also move ahead with a new head coach. A common question in the final locker room session of the season was what are players looking for in the next man to lead the team.

Skattebo turned the question inward.

“No matter who the coach is, the players have got to step it up,” he said. “We have to lead an example for each other. Even (interim head coach Mike Kafka) just touched on it. We have to step up to each other and show that we care and have those hard conversations with each other.”

Skattebo added: “This place is special. They’re doing a good job drafting and I’m excited about this upcoming draft and seeing who stays around. I’m excited to build something here. No matter who is in this building, we have our quarterback, so I’m excited for that simply. We build the pieces around him to be successful, and I’m juiced to see what this franchise can be within the next five years.”