Former Wyoming Tight End to Miss Rookie NFL Season With Injury
LARAMIE -- The injury bug has again taken a bite out of John Michael Gyllenborg.
This time around, it's more like a chunk.
The former Wyoming tight end Wednesday posted a post-surgery photo of himself on social media, thumbs up, lying in a hospital bed. It was announced the previous day that he was being put on season-ending injury reserve, prematurely halting his rookie campaign with his hometown franchise, the Kansas City Chiefs.
The culprit: a "sprained knee."
"The road to recovery starts now," Gyllenborg penned on Instagram, followed by the Bible verse Romans 8:28.
The Leawood, Kan. native was limited to just nine games in each of the previous two seasons, dealing with everything from a nagging hamstring injury to a collarbone/ shoulder issue to a high-ankle sprain.
In what was supposed to be his breakout year, Gyllenborg hauled in just 24 passes for 217 yards and a touchdown. That came in a Week 2 blowout of Northern Iowa last September.
He capped his career in Laramie, one in which he spent all five seasons, with 1,023 receiving yards and seven scores on 80 catches. He earned second team All-Mountain West honors following his junior year.
During the offseason, he was a hot commodity, reportedly turning down lucrative offers from the likes of Tennessee, Texas A&M, Notre Dame and others. He instead remained on the high plains, calling the decision "not really difficult."
Despite his injury history and lack of production last fall, Gyllenborg was invited to the Senior Bowl and the NFL Combine. The 6-foot-5, 251-pounder ran a 4.6-second 40-yard dash at the latter. Though he wasn't selected in the upcoming draft, Kansas City quickly scooped him up as a free agent.
Former UW players currently on NFL rosters:
* Josh Allen - QB - Buffalo Bills
* Andrew Wingard - S - Arizona Cardinals
* Caden Barnett - G - Chicago Bears
* Evan Svoboda - TE - Los Angeles Chargers
* Treyton Welch - TE - New Orleans Saints
* Carl Granderson - DE - New Orleans Saints
* Frank Crum - T - Denver Broncos
* Sam Scott - RB - New York Jets
* Chad Muma - LB - New England Patriots
* Marcus Epps - S - Philadelphia Eagles
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