Realistic Projections for Every NFL Star Returning from Injury in 2015

Injuries are a fact of life in the NFL.

Of course, some teams learn the facts of life in a harsher manner than others.

Take, for instance, the Arizona Cardinals in 2014. Ten games into the season, the Cardinals were 9-1 with the best record in the NFL. Then quarterback Carson Palmer went down. Then backup Drew Stanton went down. The Redbirds limped to an 11-5 finish, which was good enough to make the playoffs, but with bad-joke punch line Ryan Lindley under center, their postseason run was effectively over before it started.

The injury bug has already hit some teams hard in 2015, and training camp isn't even here yet. The Manning boys may be running for their lives, as both Peyton (Ryan Clady) and Eli (Will Beatty) saw camp injuries fell their blindside protectors.

However, for most NFL teams, the summer is a time of hope. Everyone is healthy, including the stars who saw their prior season cut short for one reason or another.

And with that in mind, here's a look at what to expect in 2015 from a group of NFL stars who ended 2014 with the initials no one wants: IR.

Carson Palmer, QB, Arizona Cardinals

Rick Scuteri/Associated Press

As I mentioned in the Intro, 2014 was a tale of two seasons for the Arizona Cardinals.

It was actually a tale of three seasons for quarterback Carson Palmer. In the Cardinals' Week 1 win over the San Diego Chargers, he suffered an arm injury that would sideline the 35-year-old for a month.

Then, he returned to action and led the Redbirds to five straight victories from Week 6 to Week 10. Over that span, he threw nine touchdown passes against only three interceptions, posting a passer rating of over 90 in four of five games.

The Cardinals were impressed enough by the performance to sign Palmer to a three-year, $50 million extension—and then disaster struck.

In that Week 10 win over the St. Louis Rams, Palmer suffered a season-ending ACL injury, and from there the Cardinals' dream season turned into a nightmare.

It marked the second time he has torn that ACL, but the 13th-year veteran told Josh Weinfuss of ESPN.com that he's been hard at work to knock the rust off this summer:

"

You have these surgeries and you start the walking process, the jogging process, the running process, you reteach the foot, the knee, the leg, the technique of each one of those steps. The same thing is true in five-step drops, seven-step drops, running game, gun footwork, under-center foot work.

"

All indications are Palmer will be a full-go for Week 1, and when healthy he's an excellent fit for Bruce Arians' vertical passing attack. There's no shortage of weapons available to Palmer in the passing game either in wideouts Larry Fitzgerald, Michael Floyd and John Brown.

The key for the Cardinals may well be improved play from an offensive line that ranked 23rd in the NFL in pass blocking last year, per Pro Football Focus. Granted, that line also allowed only 28 sacks, but Palmer won't have to get sacked to wind up back on the shelf.

And mobility is not his strong suit.

2015 Projection: 520 attempts, 318 completions, 3,410 passing yards, 24 touchdowns, 15 interceptions (14 games)

Robert Mathis, OLB, Indianapolis Colts

Darron Cummings/Associated Press

In 2013, Robert Mathis erupted for the best season of his 12-year NFL career. 59 tackles. A career-best 19.5 sacks.

Last year? Nothing.

The reason for that? Well, actually there were two. First Mathis was suspended after testing positive for a banned substance. Then injury was added to insult, when Mathis tore his Achilles while working out.

Given Mathis' age and the severity of that injury, more than one pundit has questioned whether he'll ever be the same. Mathis, for his part, told Zac Keefer of the Indy Star that he isn't hearing the doubters:

"

Media guys like you who say I'm 34 and can't do it. I have to come back. I have to be a part of this. I have to prove to myself that I can do this. It's frustrating because I'm used to going 100 miles an hour, (but) I just gotta be smart. I'm at the state of my career where it's smart, not heart.

"

The attitude is laudable. But there have been unspecified setbacks in Mathis' recovery, and the veteran was a spectator at OTAs.

The Colts would certainly love to get a player back who has been one of the franchise's defensive cornerstones for years, especially after the pass rush fell off a cliff without him last year.

The problem is, no one's quite sure when that might be.

2015 Projection: 30 tackles (19 solos), seven sacks, one forced fumble (eight games)

Gerald McCoy, DT, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Paul Sancya/Associated Press

Over his five seasons in the NFL, Gerald McCoy has established himself as one of the better 3-technique tackles in the NFL. He's a talented and disruptive defender capable of plugging running lanes and collapsing the pocket.

It's made the 27-year-old a wealthy young man.

McCoy was well on his way to earning his fat paycheck last year. With 8.5 sacks through 13 games, he was a bright spot amidst the black hole that was the 2014 Bucs.

Then, like everything else in Tampa Bay last year, McCoy's season ended badly, courtesy of a December knee injury.

Still, reports have been positive regarding McCoy's recovery. New teammate Henry Melton recently told Joe Kania of the team's website he's been amazed by McCoy's attitude and work ethic.

“I really didn’t realize how good of a player Gerald is,” Melton said. “His work ethic is crazy. I’m just learning from that and trying to be a better player.”

That must be music to the ears of the Buccaneers. There are a lot more questions than answers on the Tampa defensive front in 2015. If the team is going to improve on last year's 21st-place ranking in sacks, it needs its Pro Bowl tackle to anchor that front.

2015 Projection: 46 tackles (34 solo), nine sacks, two forced fumbles

Brandon Marshall, WR, New York Jets

Julio Cortez/Associated Press

Brandon Marshall's suitcase has a lot of stickers on it.

The trade to the New York Jets marks the fourth NFL team for the 31-year-old. And it's been the same story every time. In Denver. In Miami. In Chicago.

Big-time production. And big-time headaches.

In fact, as Dom Cosentino of NJ.com pointed out, Marshall is one of only four players over the last 20 years to be traded three times. He attributed much of his early troubles to being "lost" during his stints in the Mile High City and South Florida:

"

I was a lost guy coming in and really didn't cope and deal with things the right way. My second year in Miami [2011 -- when Marshall admitted to being diagnosed with a personality disorder] is when there really was a transformation in my life and in my heart. I really started seeing the world the way it's supposed to be seen.

Since then, I've been living my life, in a way that I haven't been perfect, but one that I would say that I'm happy with, and feel that I'll be an effective, healthy citizen, wherever I am.

"

In Marshall's last year with the Bears, he was lost to injury as well. After battling a balky ankle much of the year, a brutal hit in a December loss to the Dallas Cowboys resulted in two broken ribs, a punctured lung and a trip to injured reserve.

Now, however, the 10th-year veteran is fully healthy, and Marshall told Cosentino this time he hopes his bags are unpacked for good:

"

This is a great organization, it's got great people. I think it's people that's going to accept me for who I am and see that it's a personality, not a character issue. So as we begin to build these relationships, you want to be able to be there for a while. Being a one-hit wonder or a rental definitely affects you emotionally. I don't want to go through that again. I want to take this opportunity and make the best out of it.

"

Marshall may not be the player he once was, but as recently as 2013 he caught 100 passes for almost 1,300 yards and 12 touchdowns in Chicago.

However, he'll have a hard time matching those numbers in the Big Apple. Not because of Marshall per se, but because of a run-heavy Jets offense with all sorts of issues under center.

2015 Projection: 77 receptions, 985 receiving yards, eight touchdowns

Paul Posluszny, MLB, Jacksonville Jaguars

Andrew Weber-USA TODAY Sports

There might not be a more underappreciated linebacker in the National Football League than Paul Posluszny.

Trapped in the third circle of football hell known as Jacksonville, Posluszny has received little recognition nationally, despite averaging 140 tackles per season for the Jaguars from 2011 to 2013. In that 2013 season, only Vontaze Burfict of the Cincinnati Bengals had more stops than Posluszny's 162.

The 30-year-old appeared well on his way to another huge year for the Jaguars last year, until a torn pectoral muscle ended his season in an October victory over the Cleveland Browns.

Now, the ninth-year veteran is back to 100 percent, and Posluszny told Alex Cawley of WTAJ-TV that he's eager to get back at it and be a defensive leader for the Jaguars in 2015:

"

Now, I'm at the point in my career where you treat every day as if it's your last. I mean you give maximum effort, give everything you can, and learn as much as you can. I mean, we love this game so much, and we know that it can be taken at any point, so you try to maximize everything you have.

"

The Jaguars may be improving, but this is not exactly what one would call a good football team. Posluszny and the Jacksonville defense are apt to be on the field quite a bit in 2015.

And that's going to mean a lot of chances for Poz to rack up tackles.

2015 Projection: 138 tackles (101 solos), two sacks, one forced fumble, one interception

Sam Bradford, QB, Philadelphia Eagles

Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports

Sam Bradford is something of a permanent fixture on lists like this.

In fact, at this time a year ago, just about everything I'm about to say about him would have applied.

Just like now, Bradford was trying to work his way back from an ACL tear. Just like now, there were positive reports about the No. 1 overall pick in the 2010 NFL draft's rehab.

And then he tore that same ACL again in a preseason tilt with the Cleveland Browns, and it was back to the old drawing board.

Still, Philadelphia Eagles head coach (and personnel poobah) Chip Kelly must have seen something he liked in Bradford. After all, Kelly sent quarterback Nick Foles and a second-round pick to the St. Louis Rams in exchange for Sir Sam the Brittle.

To hear Kelly tell it, all is well with his new toy.

"Sam’s doing a great job in terms of what we’ve asked him to do,” Kelly said, per Kent Babb of the Washington Post. “So we think he’s right on track and is probably where we think he is right now."

Still, as Babb pointed out, to say that Kelly and the Eagles are rolling the dice here is an understatement, especially with no clear date yet set when Bradford will be a full-go for practice, much less game action:

"

At this moment, as Bradford put it, it is simply too early to know. But Bradford’s knee is perhaps the most intriguing storyline in the entire division — the most valuable body part — and, if nothing else, represents a significant dice roll for a franchise still finding itself in Kelly’s third year. Foles, after all, won 14 of the games he started for Kelly over two seasons, leading Philadelphia to the playoffs in 2013. But those surrounding the franchise believe one thing when it comes to Foles: that Kelly didn’t believe the fourth-year passer had it in him to be an elite quarterback. Any season, at least in Kelly’s wandering mind, waiting and hoping for such a thing would be a waste — and so Kelly, who also values immediacy, opted to move on.

"

This could be the move that defines Kelly's tenure as Philly's head coach. If Bradford can get healthy, stay healthy and lead the Eagles to the playoffs, the Chipster will look like a genius.

The problem is we've seen very little from Bradford in five NFL seasons to indicate that he can stay healthy.

2015 Projection: 294 passing attempts, 170 completions, 2,121 passing yards, 17 touchdowns, 10 interceptions (nine games)

Jerod Mayo, OLB, New England Patriots

Jim Rogash/Getty Images

There was a time when Jerod Mayo was one of the leaders of the New England Patriots defense; he was a young linebacker considered one of the best in the NFL at what he did.

Unfortunately, over the past two seasons, what Mayo has done was stand on the sidelines or sit in the trainer's room.

In 2013, he lost 10 games to a torn pectoral muscle. In 2014, it was the same number of games but a different, more serious injury—a torn patellar tendon.

The severity of that injury (as football injuries go, that's about as bad as it gets) and Mayo's robust salary led many to speculate that his days in Beantown were done, but the 29-year-old took a pay cut to remain with the Pats.

However, as Mike Reiss of ESPN.com wrote, Mayo wasn't on the practice field for OTAs, and with this being the Patriots, best of luck trying to get anything that resembles any sort of reliable information regarding the status of Mayo or his knee this year.

Add in the emergence of young linebackers Jamie Collins and Dont'a Hightower last year, and there may not be a player on this list who is looking at a murkier 2015 than Mayo.

2016 Projection: 78 tackles (48 solos), one sack, one interception (10 games)

Jadeveon Clowney, OLB, Houston Texans

Bob Levey/Getty Images

On some level, it might seem strange to call Houston Texans outside linebacker Jadeveon Clowney a "star," at least at the NFL level. After all, he's made all of seven tackles in four NFL games.

Still, we are talking about a player who was the No. 1 overall pick in the 2014 NFL draft. Mike Mayock of the NFL Network called him a player whose "talent demands that he becomes the best defensive player in the league."

Of course, that was before a knee injury that eventually required microfracture surgery simultaneously wiped out most of Clowney's rookie year and cast clouds of doubt over his NFL future.

He wasn't on the practice field for OTAs, but head coach Bill O'Brien told Tania Ganguli of ESPN.com that the Texans are hopeful that Clowney will be ready for training camp and be on the field when they open the regular season against the Kansas City Chiefs:

"

Now, when he comes back to be able to practice in training camp, we don't really know that yet. Obviously, he would have to practice some to be able to be ready to play in the Kansas City game, even if it was on a limited basis. But he's worked extremely hard. I think he's moving well. I think he feels better. We'll be looking forward to seeing where he is at once we get back here at the end of July.

"

Given that Clowney's microfracture surgery didn't take place until December, that timetable leans toward the optimistic side.

And even if he is able to avoid spending the first six games of his sophomore season on the PUP list, the Texans would be well-served to take the slow and steady route with the player they hope will one day join J.J. Watt to form the NFL's most feared pass-rushing duo.

And that means tempering expectations for 2015.

2015 Projection: 30 tackles (19 solos), four sacks, one forced fumble (10 games)

Victor Cruz, WR, New York Giants

Andrew Weber-USA TODAY Sports

Over the first month of the 2014 season, before a man named Beckham bent sports fans to his will (see what I did there?), Victor Cruz was the No. 1 receiver for the New York Giants.

Then, during a prime-time matchup with the Philadelphia Eagles, disaster struck.

Cruz, who averaged over 1,000 receiving yards per season over a three-year stretch from 2011 to 2013, suffered a horrific knee injury during the game that included a tear of his patellar tendon.

These are the sorts of injuries that end careers.

Cruz told Dan Salomone of the Giants' website that he isn't about to let that be his fate:

"

Obviously coming off an injury like the one I had, you want to be able to come back stronger and come back in tip-top shape. And I think I’m headed there. I think I’m about a little over 80 percent. These six weeks will be huge for me to continue to build on that and continue to be the force that I was before. So [I’m] just taking it one day at a time.

"

Chris Wesseling of NFL.com listed Cruz among 10 Comeback Player of the Year candidates in 2015, but he allowed that the 28-year-old faces an uphill fight:

"

Cruz will be a trendy preseason pick for this award, but he has a couple of things working against him. Patellar tendon ruptures are notorious for sapping speed and cutting ability, making it one of the most challenging injuries for skill-position players to overcome. No matter how well he plays, he will be overshadowed by the unstoppable Odell Beckham.

"

Hopefully, Cruz will one day recapture his salsa-dancing form, but it's likely wishful thinking to believe that's going to be this year.

2015 Projection: 50 receptions, 677 yards, four touchdowns (12 games)

NaVorro Bowman, ILB, San Francisco 49ers

Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

NaVorro Bowman is in much the same boat as the previously mentioned Sam Bradford, in that it's been a while since we saw him in action.

In fact, when Bowman last took the field in a game that counted, the San Francisco 49ers were a much different team.

That team was playing in the 2013 NFC Championship Game against the Seattle Seahawks, and it was there where he suffered a nasty injury, tearing both the ACL and MCL in his left knee.

That injury caused him to miss all of last season, and he admitted to Tyler Emerick of the team's website that even now the knee is still giving him some trouble: "It hasn’t been consistent. I go out there some days, and I feel great and some days I have to fight through it. That’s part of the process. I understand that. But mentally, it messes with me sometimes."

However, Bowman also pledged that by the beginning of the regular season the 27-year-old plans to be ready to rock:

"

No doubt. No doubt. The knee will get to where it needs to be. Maybe not as fast as you guys expect, but I’m definitely going to get back to that level.

Just to get out there and do something is always good for the knee. As long as I keep doing that, it’ll get used to knowing that I want to get back out there playing football.

"

That's a good thing because the 49ers desperately need Bowman back in 2015, thanks to the stunning retirements of Patrick Willis and Chris Borland.

An inside linebacker corps that was once considered one of the league's deepest is now paper-thin, and if Bowman really is 100 percent by Week 1, he has a real chance at not only winning Comeback Player of the Year honors but also leading the NFL in tackles in 2015.

2015 Projection: 151 tackles (117 solos), three sacks, two forced fumbles, two interceptions

Vontaze Burfict, OLB, Cincinnati Bengals

Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

To say that Cincinnati Bengals linebacker Vontaze Burfict has had an up-and-down NFL career would be an understatement.

He went undrafted out of Arizona State in 2012, but by the end of the season he'd worked his way into the starting lineup for the Cincinnati Bengals. Then, in his sophomore season, he paced the entire National Football League with 171 tackles.

Burfict's future appeared bright, but the skies darkened quickly.

The 2014 season started with one concussion. Then another. Then Burfict went down with a knee injury that just wouldn't get better. As Ian Rapoport of NFL.com reported, it wasn't until the calendar turned to 2015 that we learned the true severity of Burfict's injury.

The "M" word. Microfracture.

Still, despite the late date of Burfict's surgery and the bleak prognosis that often comes with that injury, Geoff Hobson of the team's website wrote that the Bengals remain confident he will be a go for the season opener:

"

Taped on the wall above Guenther’s desk are a couple of sheets stapled together called, “The Burfict Plan,’ which culminates with him playing Sept. 13 against the Raiders as he comes back from January’s micro fracture knee surgery.

The plan calls for Burfict to be back in time to play a pre-season game or two in preparation for the regular season. That’s an optimistic sign because if he practices just once, he’s not allowed to go on the physically unable to perform list (PUP), which would keep him off the practice field for the first six weeks of the regular season.

"

That optimism is well and good, but a nine-month recovery period for surgery that extensive is beyond optimistic.

In fact, it wouldn't be at all surprising if most of Burfict's 2015 campaign winds up being a wash.

2015 Projection: 47 tackles (26 solo), one sack, one interception (seven games)

Brandin Cooks, WR, New Orleans Saints

Derick E. Hingle-USA TODAY Sports

Granted, it may not be fair to call Cooks a star. At least not yet.

But there's been a great deal of speculation that we'll be viewing the second-year pro a lot differently come the end of the 2015 season.

He already showed more than a little promise as a rookie, hauling in 53 passes for 550 yards and three touchdowns over 10 games (and seven starts) before a thumb injury cut his inaugural season short.

Now, thanks to the trades that sent tight end Jimmy Graham and wide receiver Kenny Stills out of town, Cooks appears set to ascend to a role as Drew Brees' top target in the Saints' passing game.

And as Chris Wesseling of NFL.com reports, that role has come with plenty of gravy in the past:

"

Payton has shown a knack for taking advantage of "satellite" weapons who require space to make plays. That bodes well for the immediate future of Cooks, who offers rare suddenness and agility in the open field.

Cooks was on pace for 85 receptions and roughly 1,000 yards from scrimmage prior to his season-ending injury in Week 11. Even if the Saints shift to a ball-control approach, a healthy Cooks has a good chance to sail past those numbers in 2015.

"

Mmmmm. Gravy.

2015 Projection: 88 receptions, 1,087 yards, nine touchdowns, 145 rushing yards, one touchdown

Derrick Johnson, ILB, Kansas City Chiefs

John Rieger-USA TODAY Sports

Derrick Johnson's 2014 season was over almost before it started.

After topping 100 tackles for four straight years from 2010 to 2013, he managed all of four last year before being felled by a season-ending Achilles tear in the season opener.

An injury of that severity is no joke for a 33-year-old linebacker, but Johnson insisted to Terez Paylor of the Kansas City Star that he intends to be a full-go for Week 1:

"

I’m feeling good — I had a few days off from inflammation in my knee but I’m feeling really good. Those few days off, whew, helped me out a lot. So my Achilles is fine, I’m not feeling it at all. And I’m healthy, that’s the main thing. If I can stay healthy, I can help this team.

"

That must be music to the ears of head coach Andy Reid and the Chiefs. With Johnson anchoring the inside of the Kansas City defense in 2013, the team ranked a respectable 11th in the NFL against the run and made the playoffs.

Last year, that number plummeted to 28th in the league, and the Chiefs watched the playoffs on TV.

If there's a silver lining to Johnson's injury, it's that it happened in September, and by the time the Chiefs travel to Houston to face the Texans, he will have had a year to recover.

Assuming he's 100 percent (or relatively close), a fifth 100-stop season in six years is hardly a stretch.

2015 Projection: 125 tackles (99 solos), two sacks, one interception, two forced fumbles

Andre Ellington, RB, Arizona Cardinals

Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

Stop me if you've heard this before.

Entering the 2014 season....

It's a refrain you hear a lot with articles like this, especially where younger players are concerned. And sure enough, there was plenty of hype surrounding Andre Ellington last year. After all, the Arizona Cardinals tailback was the first rookie since Ickey Woods over two decades ago to lead the NFL in yards per carry in 2013.

Mind you, it's not that Ellington's 2014 season was abysmal. He did manage to top 1,000 total yards in 12 games for the Redbirds a year ago. But the bottom fell out of his yards per carry, from 5.5 in 2014 to only 3.3 in 2014.

Part of that was due to a number of nagging injuries, including a sports hernia that ended Ellington's season. However, the 26-year-old told Kevin Zimmerman of Fox Sports Arizona at OTAs that he's just about back to 100 percent: "Just not taking it for granted. Every day I'm busting my (butt) trying to get better, not taking those days off where I'm feeling lazy and don't want to do some things. I just kind of push myself to use it as motivation more than anything."

Ellington should also be motivated by the arrival of third-round rookie David Johnson, who is essentially a bigger, slightly slower version of Ellington.

Still, entering Ellington's third NFL season, his role as lead back in the desert seems safe, and Johnson could actually prove a blessing for Ellington's long-term fortunes if a few less touches per game helps keep him on the field.

2015 Projection: 180 carries, 740 rushing yards, five touchdowns, 45 catches, 389 yards, three touchdowns

Sean Lee, OLB, Dallas Cowboys

Matthew Emmons-USA TODAY Sports

Want to hear another familiar refrain?

Dallas Cowboys linebacker Sean Lee got hurt.

When on the field, he has shown elite talent over his five seasons in the NFL. The problem is, he is rarely on the field. Over the last three seasons, Lee has missed a staggering 31 of 48 possible games, including the entire 2014 season.

However, defensive coordinator Rod Marinelli told Jon Machota of the Dallas Morning News that Lee's recovery from a torn ACL is going about as well as can be expected:

"

He’s a ball of energy and excitement and that represents who we are. He’s moving well. We’re just being smart as we get him ready to go. But he’s got a lot of good quality work in.

That position is built on instincts. You’ve got to have movement and speed and all those things. But it’s awareness and I think he’s got really good instincts to play. He’s covered up, so there’s somebody always in front of him. I think he can really use his speed.

"

That's all well and good, and with Rolando McClain suspended for the first four games of the 2015 season, the Dallas defense badly needs a healthy Lee making stops.

But at this point, with Lee it's not a matter of if he'll get hurt.

It's just a matter of when.

2015 Projection: 65 tackles (40 solos), 1 interception (eight games)