The Facts:
Embattled running back Goodson, who pleaded not guilty Wednesday to drug and weapons charges, will return to the practice field next week for the New York Jets, a league source said. 

Diehards Line:
Goodson sat out the first week of OTA practices amid the fallout from his arrest, which included speculation his brief Jets career could be over. The Jets may take some heat for letting him back so soon, but team officials have said they will let the legal process run its course before deciding his fate. The Jets can't force him to sit out because the practices are voluntary, but the two sides came to a mutual understanding early in the week that it would be best to let things calm down before having him on the field and scrutinized by the media. Goodson was formally charged with unlawful possession of a handgun, possession of a loaded handgun, possession of marijuana (under 50 grams), possession of drug paraphernalia and possession of hollow point ammunition. He could face up to 10 years in prison if convicted of the gun charges. He told the Jets the gun doesn't belong to him, according to his lawyer. He also faces possible punishment from the NFL.

The Facts:
McCoy suffered a torn Achilles tendon during organized team activities this week and underwent surgery on Thursday repair the injury, a person informed of the diagnosis told USA TODAY Sports. The person said McCoy will miss at least six months. 

Diehards Line:
Though McCoy isn't the Seahawks' No. 1 tight end, he saw plenty of action in double-tight sets along with Zach Miller last year. McCoy played in all 18 of the team's games last season, with seven starts. He had 18 receptions for 291 yards and three touchdowns in the regular season. The former sixth-round pick also played in all 16 games in 2011 and was credited with nine starts. It remains to be seen whether the Seahawks will keep McCoy on the roster via the physically-unable-to-perform list. That would allow McCoy to sit out up to 12 weeks of the regular season while not counting against the final 53-man roster. The Seahawks drafted Rice tight end Luke Wilson in the fifth round last month, so Wilson will probably see a bigger role than he or the team expected moving forward.

The Facts:
Since OC Darrell Bevell has experience coaching Harvin in Minnesota, it's fair to expect Seattle to line up Harvin in similar ways. Which means every way possible. "I'll be moving around -- pretty much all around," Harvin said Wednesday. "There'll be a little bit of running back coming up. But right now, we're just trying to get the foundation set, just running the base plays, and we'll see where it goes from there." 

Diehards Line:
As NFL.com's Gregg Rosenthal suggests, this is not a surprise. Harvin will primarily play in the slot, but the Seahawks wouldn't acquire him to just leave him in one spot. He can play well in the backfield and on the outside. "Very explosive," HC Pete Carroll said. "He took the ball and turned it up a couple of times today, and he's just lightning-fast. You can see why he's such a factor catching it and running it and in the kicking game." Russell Wilson added: "His talent level is unbelievable, off the charts. ..." Rosenthal further noted that Harvin can run with surprising power inside the tackles when asked. The team isn't going to ask Harvin to turn into Marshawn Lynch, but the threat of Harvin taking a handful of handoffs every game makes Seattle that much tougher to defend.

The Facts:
Following up on a previous item. ... After his appearance at Redskins' OTA practice on Thursday, Griffin said he has "only" two hurdles left in his recovery from a torn ACL: (1) clearance for "explosive" sprinting; and (2) clearance to cut. Those are both fairly significant hurdles. As to these obstacles, perhaps the most important maneuver for an athlete with a new ACL, a source with knowledge of the situation tells PFT that there is no timetable for said clearance. "It is still a ways off," the source said. "No one is going to rush anything." 

Diehards Line:
As PFT's Mike Florio noted, that's the most important thing for Griffin, the Redskins, the media, and the fans to remember. Griffin got into this mess because not enough attention was being paid to his health. It's safe to say the cautious approach will continue right up through Week 1. So, again: The outlook is optimistic. But nothing will be determined until much closer to September.

The Facts:
Cobb set a franchise record and led the NFL with 2,342 all-purpose yards last season. If not for a late-season ankle injury, he might have become the first player in NFL history with 1,000 yards apiece receiving and returning kickoffs. The expectations are even higher this year with Greg Jennings and Donald Driver out of the picture. HC Mike McCarthy's preference is to remove Cobb from the kick-return game to increase his role on offense. Aaron Rodgers is counting on Cobb to replace Jennings as his go-to receiver. "I think Randall Cobb is a guy who could be a 100-plus catch guy every year," Rodgers said Wednesday. 

Diehards Line:
As NFL.com's Chris Wesseling suggests, it's no surprise that Rodgers is singing Cobb's praises. After calling him a "star in the making" and a "big-time" player last October, Rodgers told WAUK-AM that Cobb would likely go down as "one of the best picks in Ted Thompson's career, if not the best." Cobb led the Packers in targets (104) and receptions (80) last season despite playing 416 fewer snaps than James Jones. This year, McCarthy will make an even more conscious effort to emphasize Cobb this season because "playmakers need the ball in their hands. ..." So as Wesseling summed up: "Fantasy leaguers take note: Cobb is not just a darkhorse candidate, but a legitimate threat to lead the NFL in receptions this season."

The Facts:
Following up on a previous item. ... Garcon escaped surgery on the foot injury that bothered him throughout the 2012 NFL season, but he ended up going under the knife in January to repair a torn labrum.  

Diehards Line:
The injury occurred during the Washington Redskins' playoff loss to the Seattle Seahawks. HC Mike Shanahan described the surgery as a chest procedure, though Garcon clarified on ESPN's "NFL Live" on Thursday that it was to his labrum. "It was a small surgery," Garcon told ESPN. It wasn't nothing major." Garcon will miss the entirety of the offseason program, but the Redskins expect him back on the field for training camp. ... Again, we'll be following his progress closely in coming weeks. Stay tuned.

The Facts:
Earlier this week, Miller said there was a "chance" he'd be able to play the entire 2013 season after tearing his ACL late last season but admitted there's no timetable yet for his return to full activity. Miller's QB has a more optimistic take on the tight end's recovery. During an appearance on WDVE on Thursday, Ben Roethlisberger said that he had "no doubt" that Miller would be on the field for the first week of the season and that his bigger concern is keeping Miller from doing too much too fast as he gets ready for the games to begin. 

Diehards Line:
"The biggest thing is going to be trying to hold Heath back because I think he's gonna want to get out there too soon," Roethlisberger said. "I'm gonna fight to say 'Heath, don't play in any preseason games. Just get out there for the regular season. ...'" As PFT suggested, the Steelers seem to be approaching things the same way as Roethlisberger. They didn't draft a tight end in April and their only move of note at the position in free agency was bringing back Matt Spaeth, who has stuck in the NFL the last six years because of his skills as a blocker. Again, however, Miller sounds much less certain about Week 1. "Yeah, I think it's a little too early to say anything like that. It's a long time before training camp, so that's a long time to make gains positively or maybe even for something to happen negatively," Miller said, via the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. "So, I'm just taking one day at a time, and I hope to get better every day. ..." Stay tuned.

The Facts:
Chandler is looking good already in his recovery from major knee surgery. That's a big deal for the Buffalo Bills' offense, which needs all of the proven weapons it can get. "I feel good, and I'm excited for the season," Chandler said. "The injury is different than it used to be. The doctors are better. And I have to attribute some of this - I'm a Christian guy. God is the ultimate healer. Just put your faith in him and see how it goes." Can he be ready for the start of training camp? "I feel it's realistic," he said. 

Diehards Line:
Chandler tore a knee ligament last Dec. 23 at Miami and had surgery on Jan. 9, only 4 1-2 months ago. However, he is running around well at the Bills' spring practices. Chandler started running pass routes three weeks ago. This week, he's running routes and catching the ball. According to News staffer Mark Gaughan, Chandler was running well. The 6-7 Chandler caught 43 passes last season, tied for the second most on the team. He has six touchdown catches each of the past two seasons. There was a lot of speculation about the Bills pursuing a proven tight end in free agency, but they did not. They did take a tight end in the draft, but not until the seventh round, picking Arkansas' Chris Gragg.

The Facts:
A pair of Browns were held out of Thursday’s OTA session as a precaution a team spokesman said. RB Trent Richardson and TE Jordan Cameron did not participate due to minor injuries and will miss additional time HC Rob Chudzinski said after practice. “It’s precautionary, we’re holding [Richardson] out,” Chudzinski said. “We’ve got minicamp in a week and a half, he may miss that. I’m not sure we’ll just play it day by day.” 

Diehards Line:
Richardson has a lower leg strain – more specifically a pulled muscle in his shin. Cameron has a groin injury. “Same thing,” Chudzinski said of the Browns tight end. “We’re being more precautionary with these type of things and we’ll wait and see. ...” Doesn't sound especially worrisome at this point, but we'll watch for more and follow up as needed.

The Facts:
Garcon had surgery after all. But it wasn’t to repair a right foot injury that hampered him during the 2012 season. Instead, the receiver is working his way back from what HC Mike Shanahan called “chest” surgery after something went wrong in the team’s only playoff game against the Seattle Seahawks. 

Diehards Line:
Garcon caught passes from Robert Griffin III at OTAs Thursday, apart from the rest of the group that was going through practice. Shanahan expects the 26-year-old to be ready for training camp. “I think Pierre, his rehab has been unbelievable,” Shanahan said. “Anytime you get operated on like he did and you’re able to come back as quickly as he has, I was watching him this morning in the weight room and he was lifting weights that he shouldn’t be able to lift. And he feels very comfortable, and it’s been a slow process. But he’s in excellent shape, so I’ll be surprised if he’s not full-speed, ready to go once we go to training camp. ...” Garcon wasn’t shy during the season and immediately afterward in saying he wanted to avoid foot surgery. He did not need that, but Shanahan said something “came out” in the Seahawks game requiring the chest surgery. ... We'll follow up as needed.