Training camp is a time for optimism for most players and fanbases.
While some guys are fighting to make the team or keep their NFL dream alive, others are working toward achieving success after missing significant time due to injury.
Injuries are a huge part of the NFL and will shape how the 2024 season plays out, so let's look at some guys who are hoping to stay healthy after missing a significant portion of last year.
NFL Players Coming Back From Injury:
Aaron Rodgers, QB, New York Jets
Rodgers' first year with the Jets ended as soon as it began as he tore his Achilles on just the fourth play of the season opener.
A fervent attempt at getting back on the field in 2023 fell short as the Jets fell out of playoff contention before Rodgers could be activated.
Entering 2024, the 40-year-old Rodgers is healthy after missing OTAs due to personal reasons and hopes to rejuvenate a passing offense that ranked 31st in net yards per attempt last year and threw just 11 touchdowns.
After back-to-back MVP seasons, Rodgers struggled in his final season with the Packers, throwing 12 interceptions, the most he’s thrown in a season since 2008.
There isn’t much precedent for a 40-year-old quarterback having success in the NFL aside from Tom Brady, who won the final MVP award of his career at the age of 40 in 2017.
Joe Burrow, QB, Cincinnati Bengals
2023 got off to a tough start for Burrow when he injured his calf in training camp and limped through the early part of the schedule.
Unfortunately, a wrist injury suffered in Week 11 required surgery and knocked him out for the final seven games of the season.
Burrow will play in 2024 on his fifth-year option before a five-year, $275 million contract extension kicks in for 2025.
The key for the Bengals will be keeping Burrow upright, which has been a struggle through four seasons.
Since 2020, only Russell Wilson has been sacked more than Burrow, and Cincinnati returns four starters from an offensive line that ranked 22nd in pass blocking on Pro Football Focus last year.
However, they added Trent Brown in the offseason, and he’s allowed just two sacks in his last 740 pass-blocking snaps at right tackle.
When healthy, Burrow has been one of the most productive passers in the NFL, ranking third in touchdown passes in the two seasons he stayed healthy behind Patrick Mahomes and Josh Allen.
However, if the whole quarterback thing doesn’t work out, Burrow has a backup plan. He started taking piano lessons as a part of his rehab from the wrist injury.
Nick Chubb, RB, Cleveland Browns
Chubb was one of the most durable running backs in the NFL from 2019 to 2022, carrying the ball 1,018 times in that span, fourth-most in the league.
However, he missed 15 games last year after suffering a devastating knee injury that needed two separate surgeries to fix.
Chubb’s rehab is reportedly going well, and he could join his teammates on the practice field before they break training camp.
The Browns struggled without their star running back, averaging just 3.9 yards per carry and ranking 23rd in points per drive as five different starting quarterbacks tried to command the offense.
In the first six years of his career, Chubb averaged 5.3 yards per rush attempt, good for seventh-best in NFL history and one spot ahead of Cleveland legend Jim Brown.
It remains to be seen if Chubb will be ready to suit up for Week 1 or handle his usual workload once he comes back, but the most likely outcome is he misses some time.
Tank Dell, WR, Houston Texans
This time last year, Dell was the talk of the fantasy football community.
A third-round pick who was lighting it up in the preseason, Dell posted three 100-yard games in his rookie season and scored five touchdowns in his final four games before going down with a broken fibula in Week 13.
Things only got more complicated for the Houston product in the offseason as he suffered minor injuries after being the victim of a shooting in Florida.
However, Dell seems to be fully healthy in his second NFL training camp and should be ready to go for Week 1.
It will be interesting to see where Dell fits in the Texans offense after they added Stefon Diggs in the offseason and Nico Collins exploded for two 190-yard performances after Dell was sidelined last year.
T.J. Hockenson, TE, Minnesota Vikings
Hockenson was enjoying the best season of his career last year, setting career-highs in receptions and receiving yards before tearing his ACL in Week 16.
The Vikings offense isn’t left wanting for weapons with Hockenson on the sideline with Justin Jefferson, Jordan Addison, and the newly-signed Aaron Jones in the fold, but having a tight end of Hockenson’s caliber could certainly be helpful for Sam Darnold or J.J. McCarthy when he inevitably takes over as the team’s quarterback.
Hockenson started training camp on the Vikings' PUP list, and it’s still too early to estimate if he can return in time for the regular season. If he remains on the PUP list at the start of the season, he won’t be eligible to return until the team’s fifth game.
As of now, Josh Oliver is the second tight end on Minnesota’s depth chart. He caught a career-high 22 passes for 213 yards last year on 28 targets. Johnny Mundt is also a name to watch if Hockenson is forced to miss time.
Jack Conklin, OT, Cleveland Browns
Jack Conklin suffered a season-ending knee injury in the first half of the first game of 2023 and, unfortunately for the Browns, he wasn’t the only tackle to go down as Jedrick Wills and Dawand Jones both joined Conklin on the IR before the season was over due to knee injuries of their own.
Neither Conklin nor Wills have returned to the practice field, but Conklin is expected to return early in the preseason.
In the last three seasons, the two-time All-Pro has played just 22 games and sat out 39.
Conklin has been subject to trade rumors this offseason, with speculation he could be on the move after Jones’ performance in his spot last year.
However, Conklin out-performed the 2023 fourth-round pick as a pass blocker on PFF and remains a superior run blocker for an offense that will hopefully centered around a healthy Nick Chubb.
Jaelan Phillips/Bradley Chubb, EDGE, Miami Dolphins
2023 seemed to be the year Phillips was putting it all together after being drafted in the first round of the 2021 NFL Draft.
However, after recording 6.5 sacks and 11 quarterback hits in just eight games, Phillips’ season was over due to a torn Achilles.
The Dolphins exercised Phillips’s fifth-year option for 2025 back in May, so that is an optimistic sign they think he can return to full strength at some point, but he remains on the PUP list for the moment.
Phillips isn’t the only Dolphin pass rusher on the PUP list as last year’s sack leader Chubb is on there with the torn ACL he suffered in Week 17 last year.
Trevon Diggs, CB, Dallas Cowboys
Diggs led the NFL in interceptions in 2021 and earned another Pro Bowl nod in 2022, but his 2023 season was cut short after tearing his ACL during a Week 3 practice. He missed the remainder of the season.
The good news in Dallas is Diggs has already returned to the practice field after being activated from the PUP list and is participating in team drills. That’s a positive sign he is well on his way to being active for Week 1.
A healthy Diggs teaming with 2023 All-Pro cornerback DaRon Bland would give the Cowboys perhaps the best cornerback duo in the NFL.
Bland has 14 interceptions through his first two NFL seasons, five of which he returned for touchdowns last season. Diggs grabbed 14 picks over his final two healthy campaigns.
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