Why isn't Ruzek back with the team in Chicago PD Season 11?

It didn’t take long to find out what happened to Adam Ruzek in the Chicago PD Season 11 premiere. He survived the gunshot at the end of the Season 10 finale.

This wasn’t too surprising. There were no signs that Ruzek would leave and surviving means more meaty storylines. It certainly looks like those are coming as Ruzek isn’t back with Intelligence just yet.

Voight refuses to fill Adam’s spot on the team. That’s his spot. However, Adam is struggling to get back to a point where he can get back to work, and it’s not because of his mental health.

Ruzek’s physical health is a problem in Chicago PD

The Chicago PD writers have allowed Ruzek to have to deal with his injury. While we thought that the writers could open the door for a mental fight to get back to work, it turns out that it’s a physical one. With the surgery and time off, Ruzek isn’t as fit as he used to be.

At the start of the premiere, we saw Atwater timing Ruzek’s run. It wasn’t good. Ruzek needs to get back into shape if he wants his spot back. The good news is Voight is giving him that time. The bad news is, there’s only so much time the police force overall will likely give him. Ruzek needs to work hard if he wants to get back to work.

So, it looks like we’ll see that sort of journey for him. It’s not easy knowing that you can do a job but not being physically fit enough for it. This is going to start playing on Ruzek’s mind, especially as he’s stuck at home alone. Will it also lead to problems between him and Burgess considering Burgess managed to keep her physical fitness up after her surgery?

Chicago PD airs Wednesdays at 10/9c on NBC. Catch up on Peacock.