The Atlanta Falcons saw the return of one of their defensive lynchpins on Tuesday.
Desmond Trufant was back on the field at organized team activities, the Falcons announced. It was the veteran corner's first action since undergoing surgery to mend a torn pectoral, an injury that knocked him out for the last half of the 2016 season, including Atlanta's Super Bowl run.
The 26-year-old signed a five-year extension with the Falcons in the offseason, making Trufant one of the four highest-paid cornerbacks in the league.
Defensive end Derrick Shelby also returned to the field Tuesday afer undergoing surgery for a torn Achilles tendon last season.
Here's some other injury news worth monitoring from Tuesday:
- Mike Williams' Chargers debut will have to wait. The rookie wide receiver is dealing with a mild disc herniation in his lower back and will be held out the last two weeks of the offseason program, the team announced. Williams reportedly will not undergo surgery, but rather seek treatment. He initially suffered the injury in early May during rookie minicamp. Williams was drafted seventh overall out of Clemson and was the second receiver taken in the 2017 draft.
- James Bradberry is back. That was quick. The Panthers cornerback, who broke his wrist Monday, was active at OTAs on Tuesday, wearing a cast on his injured arm.
- Sam Bradford sat out Vikings OTAs with muscle tightness on Tuesday. Coach Mike Zimmer said he doesn't except the starting quarterback to miss the remainder of Minnesota's offseason workouts.
Speaking of Vikings injuries ... Zimmer addressed the health of his eye, one day after returning to practice. The coach said he's more optimistic about his eye than he's been since his first surgery in November.
- Dre Kirkpatrick was back at Benagals OTAs on Tuesday, less than two weeks after suffering a freak hand injury that was reportedly expected to keep him out of offseason workouts. ESPN's Katherine Terrell reported that Kirkpatrick was limited in his return.
- Marcus Mariota took full-team snaps on Tuesday. "Pretty cool to see him get out there. They didn't script it," Titans backup quarterback Alex Tanney told Paul Kuharsky. "Nobody expected it."
- Robert Nkemdiche strained his hamstring in practice, head coach Bruce Arians told reporters on Tuesday. It is possible Nkemdiche could be sidelined for the remainder of minicamp but is not considered a big concern.
- Julio Jones is slowly rehabbing his injured foot and has begun jogging during OTAs. But don't expect the Falcons wide receiver to rush into full-team drills. "I'm just gradually getting back," Jones told reporters. "I'm not trying to press anything. I've got some time."
