Kwon Alexander works with Saints starters

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Kwon Alexander has not stopped surprising in his comeback from a season-ending Achilles injury.

It’s not just that he’s back out there in a New Orleans Saints uniform less than eight months after tearing his Achilles. It’s that he’s as capable as he is at this juncture.

“I did not think he’d be where he is right now,” linebackers coach Michael Hodges said. “We’re controlling him right now because we want to be safe. But he’s a guy that is so much fun to be around and so eager to play ball, he is not allowing another injury to keep him from the field.”

Saints coach Sean Payton offered the same sentiment as Hodges, saying Alexander is ahead of schedule in his recovery while adding, “We’ve just got to be smart and patient.”

It has to be encouraging, then, to see what happened Tuesday while the Saints were playing it safe: Alexander played with the Saints’ first team defense during full team drills and flashed almost immediately, breaking up a pass intended for Latavius Murray.

It was the latest in a quick succession of remarkable moments for Alexander in his recovery from an Achilles tendon he tore on Christmas of last year.

Tuesday marked two weeks since Alexander re-signed with the Saints. First he was working off to the side with the strength staff, then he was in uniform and going through walk-throughs and individual drills with the rest of the linebackers.

Now he’s participating in full-speed drills with the rest of his teammates.

Hodges said Alexander’s rapid recovery is not just a physical feat.

“Smart people heal faster, because they understand the process and they’re able to put away some of the emotions that are tied into that,” Hodges said. “Because that’s a traumatic event, and traumatic events take a mental part to get over.

“He’s a smart person who has been through these things, he’s mature, and ultimately that guy loves ball as much as any player I’ve ever been around. So that’s how he approaches his rehab.”