The Case of Three

Players will never get the big contract they crave for if they can't stay healthy and get on the field. Some of the greatest players had their career cut short because of injury. A player's value can diminish in the eyes of the coaching staff if they miss too many games.

We are potentially seeing this with  DB Patrick Chung, OL Sebastian Vollmer and LB Brandon Spikes. All three have missed a significant amount of games since they stated their NFL career. Some players are jinxed for injuries. Others have freak ones.

Vollmer came into the league with the reputation of being "damaged goods" because of a back injury. He is a starter when he is able to play. He recently had a "small procedure done" on his back to get him ready for the season. In my opinion, there is never any "small procedure" done on a back. He probably won't be 100% at the start of camp.

Chung and Spikes had suffered knee and hamstring injuries. They are brilliant when they play and are a key component of the defense. However, they missed games which forced the defense to make the necessary adjustments.

It's one thing to keep players on the roster at the minimum wage for veterans. However, these there players are coming out of their rookie contracts. They won't get the big bucks unless they can prove they can stay on the field. That remains to be seen for anyone.

Staying injured is one sure way to get released at some point.