Some people get a cake on their birthday and others get activated from the physically-unable-to-perform list so they can start taking part in training camp.
Cardinals running back Beanie Wells belongs in the latter group. The team gave Wells, who turned 24 on Tuesday, the green light to start practicing after offseason knee surgery. The move means Wells won’t be eligible to start the year on the PUP list, which indicates the team doesn’t think there’s much risk that he won’t be able to go full speed when the season starts on September 9.
There doesn’t seem to be much chance (or much point, given the long view) that Wells will be on the field for this Friday’s game against the Chiefs and he won’t do much in the team’s joint practice with Kansas City on Tuesday, but any on-field work is a plus after Wells was out for so long following a surgery initially deemed minor. It seems like a good bet that Wells will start seeing game action in Arizona’s third preseason game against the Raiders.
Once Wells has his legs under him, the battle for snaps with Ryan Williams can really get going. Williams didn’t play in the Hall of Fame Game either, but it is about time to see what he’s able to do after missing his entire rookie season with a torn patellar tendon.