The Kansas City Chiefs were without wide receiver Jeremy Maclin at practice on Wednesday due to an inflamed foot. Although the injury isn't considered serious, Maclin's importance to the Chiefs cannot be overstated (so much so that our own Arrowhead Pride had to caution that there is no reason to panic in the headline). Kansas City finished second in the AFC West last season, but lack of production from the receivers was one of the team's biggest issues.
Jeremy Maclin misses practice, Bills don’t have a LeBron at QB and more from OTAs
Jeremy Maclin wasn’t at Chiefs practice, Sean Lee is back to doing seven-on-seven drills and more news from around the league on Wednesday.
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Maclin will be looking to change that as Alex Smith's top target. The former Eagle is a proven veteran who doesn't need as much practice time as someone like Albert Wilson, the favorite to win the starting job opposite Maclin but who has only played limited snaps in the NFL in comparison. But Maclin is still learning a new offensive system, so getting him back sooner rather than later is important.
It's worth noting that Wilson was also out of practice due to an injury, meaning the team's starting receivers on Wednesday were Chris Conley and Frankie Hammond Jr, according to Adam Teicher of ESPN.
Here’s some other news from around the NFL on Wednesday:
No LeBron for Bills at QB as Cassel struggles
The Buffalo Bills are having a quarterback battle between Matt Cassel and EJ Manuel, though neither has done much to hold the edge at this stage of the offseason. Cassel has shown more in his time in the league, but he struggled during Wednesday's session, according to Mike Rodak of ESPN. Cassel was intercepted by rookie cornerback Ronald Darby and had two near-miss interceptions in seven-on-seven drills.
Head coach Rex Ryan knows exactly where his team is at when it comes to the quarterback position, however. In fact, if you're one of the Bills quarterbacks you might even be a little hurt over the fact that Ryan made very clear on Wednesday that the Bills don't have an elite, LeBron James-type under center:
“Well, it’s safe to say that we won’t have LeBron at quarterback,” Ryan said. “We may have LeBron at defensive tackle and at defensive end, but we don’t have him at quarterback.”
At this point, it’s likely the Bills won’t have a starter until well into training camp.
McFadden patient, Lee ups his workload
The Dallas Cowboys have a few players on the mend, including free agent signing Darren McFadden. Dallas went from having the top running back in the league in DeMarco Murray to having a competition between McFadden and Joseph Randle for the starting gig. McFadden has a lengthy injury history, however, and now he is currently working through a minor hamstring injury. On Wednesday, he continued to be on the practice field but was not working out with the team as he continues to recover, according to Todd Archer of ESPN.
When healthy, McFadden has shown he can be a productive running back, but that’s still a big question mark at this point.
In better news, Cowboys linebacker Sean Lee took a big step in his own return by participating in seven-on-seven drills during OTAs on Wednesday, as reported by Clarence Hill of the Star-Telegram. Lee missed the 2014 season due to an ACL tear, but when healthy he is one of the top inside linebackers in the league. It's looking like he'll be ready to go when the regular season gets underway.
Ingram returns for Saints
The New Orleans Saints finally saw running back Mark Ingram play to his potential last season, putting up 964 yards on 226 carries in 13 games. Ingram will be the starting running back again next season, but after being held out of multiple practices with an ankle/foot injury, there was cause for concern. Sean Payton insisted it was a minor injury and that was confirmed when Ingram returned to practice on Wednesday, as reported by Mike Triplett of ESPN.
It wasn't all good news for the Saints, though, as cornerback Brandon Browner and defensive end Akiem Hicks were absent with apparent injuries. Browner said that he had a minor "tweak," but didn't go into further detail. Browner was one of New Orleans' top free agent signings and a lot is expected of him this coming season. Wide receiver Marques Colston also remained sidelined with an undisclosed injury.
Panthers get Thompson back sooner than expected
Carolina Panthers linebacker Shaq Thompson wasn't expected to return from a hamstring injury until June 12, but the rookie joined the team for the final two days of organized team activities on Wednesday, according to Black and Blue Review. Thompson got in on Tuesday night and though it's just two days of practice, it's still a big deal for a player with a long way to go. Even though Thompson was one of the most talented players in this year's draft class, his versatility means the Panthers want to see what he can do and where he does it best. Any extra time for a rookie is time well spent.
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