NFL Injury Updates on Terrell Suggs, Adrian Peterson and Jamaal Charles

We haven't even hit training camp yet and already injuries are significantly reshaping the NFL landscape for 2012.

For example, a torn Achilles tendon suffered by the reigning NFL Defensive Player of the Year dealt a serious blow to one of the AFC's top contenders.

However, new injuries aren't the only ones making waves across the league right now. Here are the latest updates on big-name players working their way back to the gridiron. 

Suggs' Surgery a "Success"

The injury referenced above was suffered by Baltimore Ravens outside linebacker Terrell Suggs, who injured his Achilles tendon while "working out" in Arizona on April 18.

Suggs traveled to North Carolina on Tuesday to have the injury surgically repaired by noted foot specialist Dr. Robert Anderson, and after the procedure, Ravens general manager Ozzie Newsome released a statement saying that the surgery went well, according to the Baltimore Sun:

"

After some recovery time, [Suggs] will begin the process of rehabbing the area. We know he will work hard to get back on the field with his teammates as soon as the doctors and trainers allow. We're confident that he can make a full recovery.

"

The 29-year-old Suggs, who tallied 70 tackles and 14 sacks a year ago, has already proclaimed that he will be "back in October, and at the maximum, most definitely back in November," and it appears that his optimism may not have been misplaced.

The Baltimore Sun also reported Wednesday that Suggs indicated the damage to his Achilles was not as bad as originally speculated, and reports that his 2012 season may have ended before it began were premature. Suggs said:

"

Everything went good, he was in and out. There is only a small incision, and he said it was not as bad as some thought it was. As far as my return, it's still the same as the original prognosis of four to six months.

"

That timetable would put Suggs's return right in the range that he originally predicted. Given that he has only missed three games due to injury in nine years, it's certainly not out of the realm of reason to believe that Suggs will indeed play in 2012, which is fantastic news for a Baltimore Ravens team with Super Bowl aspirations. 

A.P. Aiming for Opening Day

The 2012 season was an absolute nightmare for the Minnesota Vikings, and injury was added to insult last Christmas Eve when star running back Adrian Peterson tore his ACL in a meaningless regular-season finale against the Washington Redskins.

Peterson, who failed to top 1,000 rushing yards for the first time in his five-year career in 2011, has been incredibly aggressive in rehabbing the knee, so much so that he recently impressed players and coaches by outrunning teammates in wind sprints at the Vikings' strength and conditioning program.

A.P. has pledged to be on the field by opening day, but while the speed with which he has recovered to this point has been nothing short of remarkable, Vikings team trainer Eric Sugarman recently told the Minneapolis Star Tribune  that the team isn't going to rush the tailback back onto the field at the risk of further injury. Sugarman said:

"

He'll keep throwing that [return date] out there. And good for him. That's great. That's obviously our goal, to get him playing the first game. But only if he's functionally safe to do it. This is our franchise. We can't be foolish about this.

"

Sugarman went on to say that Peterson has experienced no significant swelling in the knee and that the 27-year-old back's left quadriceps is at about "80 percent" strength.

While there are no guarantees, barring a setback, it appears that Vikings fans may just get to watch Adrian Peterson on the field "All Day" on September 9.

Look Out for Jamaal Charles in 2012

There's similarly optimistic news regarding the rehab of another top running back who suffered a similar injury last year, albeit much earlier in the season.

The Kansas City Chiefs' official website reports that running back Jamaal Charles, who tore his ACL in the season's second game last year, is "80 percent" recovered from the injury.

The fifth-year ball-carrier is participating on a limited basis in offseason workouts with the team, and while the Chiefs plan to take things easy with Charles this spring, he's chomping at the bit to get back in action and help the team rebound from a disappointing 2011 campaign. Per KCChiefs.com, Charles said:

"

I’m hungry, I want it this year. I’ve got the passion for it. I can be patient, but I just can’t wait to play football. I can’t wait to bring stuff back to this community and show how much we can win.

"

The Chiefs took a similarly conservative approach with Charles after shoulder surgery prior to the 2010 season, limiting his work in OTAs and training camp. That approach paid off to the tune of nearly 1,500 rushing yards that season.

If the Kansas City Chiefs can get anywhere near that sort of production from Charles this year, it should go a long way toward eliminating bad memories of a 2011 season that saw the team ravaged by injuries on both sides of the ball.

The Chiefs had a solid offseason from a personnel standpoint, losing cornerback Brandon Carr but making key additions such as cornerback Stanford Routt and offensive lineman Eric Winston. Those additions, plus a healthy Charles who is, in his words, "bigger and stronger, and I don’t know, maybe even faster," could have Kansas City right in the thick of the AFC West race in 2012.

Follow @IDPManor