NFL OTAs are beginning around the league and while players are returning the field for a few practice sessions, a lot of the focus on Monday was on the players who aren't ready to be back on the field. New England's Rob Gronkowski made the biggest headlines as he underwent his fourth forearm surgery of the offseason.
Gronkowski underwent successful surgery on Monday as doctors confirmed the infection in his forearm is gone. Monday's procedure was Gronkowski's fourth of the offseason as an infection extended the recovery process. Doctors also inserted a new plate in Gronkowski's forearm, which should help the recovery process. While Monday's surgery was a success, it isn't all good news for the Patriots tight end. Gronkowski may also need back surgery, although as Jared Stegall of Pats Pulpit noted, the recovery time for his forearm and back should overlap and still put him in position to return for training camp.
Gronkowski isn't the only player recovering from an injury as a pair of young wide receivers are also on the mend. After missing last season due to a broken ankle, San Diego's Vincent Brown is back to 100 percent. Brown was healthy enough to play late last season, but the team took extra precaution and held him out. Now a few months later, San Diego is still taking it slow with brown and easing him back onto the field gradually.
Brown missed his entire second season, a fate Houston's DeVier Posey is trying to avoid. Posey tore his Achilles' tendon in the playoffs, but is ahead of schedule in his recovery. While it seemed Posey was likely headed for the physically-unable-to-perform list to begin the season, Texans head coach Gary Kubiak said the team will now wait and see how he performs during training camp. An Achilles' injury can take a year or more to recover from, so the fact Posey is even in the mix to open the season on the active roster is an impressive feat.
While a few players will miss OTAs due to injury, Miami's Reshad Jones will be sitting out for a different reason. Jones is entering the final year of his contract and reportedly won't attend OTAs until the Dolphins open negotiations for a contract extension. Jones is coming off a career season and is one of the best defenders on Miami's roster. He's scheduled to earn $1.323 million next season.
Two future Super Bowl host cities will be decided on Tuesday when the NFL owners vote on bids for Super Bowl 50 and 51. Miami, San Francisco and Houston are the three cities in contention, but according to a report on Monday, San Francisco and Houston are the frontrunners. If the voting goes as expected, San Francisco will host Super Bowl 50 with Houston the site of Super Bowl 51 in 2017.
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