Jason Babin almost is as good as new.
The Jacksonville Jaguars pass rusher is on the mend from June groin surgery, and he says he'll be ready for training camp, if not much sooner.
"I'm about nine days out from being 100 percent," Babin told the team's official website.
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The operation represented Babin's first-ever surgery, according to the website, somewhat remarkable considering he's 33 years old and entering his 10th season in the trenches.
After being claimed off waivers from the Philadelphia Eagles in November, Babin notched 1.5 sacks over five games. He's just two seasons removed from an 18-sack terror spree with the Eagles in 2011. Now he's penciled in to play the "Leo" role in Gus Bradley's defense, meaning his sole role is clear: Destroy signalcallers at all costs.
"It's a position that I can only dream about because you're going to line up on a tackle or you're going to line up on the open side, and you're going to rush the quarterback every down, for the most part," Babin said. "I don't think I could ask for anything more than that."
Babin still can impact a defense, but that 18-takedown campaign is deep in the rearview mirror. Even half that would be a coup for the Jaguars at this stage. Still, Bradley has emerged as one of the NFL's more creative defensive minds, and he'll squeeze the most out of his players.
Follow Marc Sessler on Twitter @MarcSesslerNFL.
