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The start of this year’s NFL training camps has seen a number of season-ending injuries to some big-time players. Most recently, we have seen the seasons of many wide receivers go down the tubes due to torn ACLs.
First there was Jeremy Maclin of the Philadelphia Eagles. Following that was Macklin’s teammate Arrelious Benn, and Danario Alexander of the San Diego Chargers. Even the knee surgery to Green Bay Packers receiver Jordy Nelson, which should keep him out for the entire preseason, can cause some doubt.
Having these rash of injuries suddenly come so early during training camp, there could be a good amount of time for many free agents to join up with one of these teams that needs a pass catcher and have the opportunity to make a roster for the 2013 season. This definitely can be said for two receivers who are dying to get back into the league.
Chad Johnson and Terrell Owens both failed to latch on to a team in 2012, and would more than likely jump at the opportunity to play this year.
Johnson did have a great chance to do so last season with the Miami Dolphins. Unfortunately, an off-the-field incident forced the Dolphins to cut him during the preseason. As for Owens, his behavior off the football field didn’t lead to him being cut by the Seattle Seahawks prior to the 2012 regular season.
The bad news for both Johnson and Owens is that their age won’t help increase their chances of returning to the NFL (Johnson is 35 and Owens is 39). However, the good news is that they both are only one year removed from the game of football, which means that they could still be in fairly decent shape. In addition, the number of significant injuries that have occurred at such an early point in the preseason could at least put them on the list of some teams that are in dire need for a receiver.
There still is a lot of the preseason and training camp for these players to endure before the start of the regular season, and many more injuries will more than likely come about.
Last year, no one thought that Johnson and Owens would get another crack at playing in the NFL, and it happened. Personally, I wouldn’t be surprised to see at least one of these guys donning an NFL uniform one more time before calling it quits for good.
Clyde A. Speller is an NFL writer for www.RantSports.com. Follow him on Twitter @ClydeASpeller, or add him to your network on Google+
