Three Mustangs were back working out with their teammates Tuesday. DEs Margus Hunt (meniscus surgery) and Zach Wood (back) did conditioning runs with their teammates and reported no lingering discomfort.
But the biggest comeback was made by WR Marcus Holyfield, who ran with his teammates for the first time since tearing his anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) in his right knee in January and undergoing surgery Feb. 14. Holyfield ran well, albeit with a brace on the knee. The group of receivers and running backs going through grueling 220-yard runs included more than two dozen players; on some of the runs, Holyfield finished among the top five finishers.
The rehabilitation has tested Holyfield's patience. Whether he is cleared to play this year remains to be seen; at the moment, he is cleared only for straight-line running and therapeutic strength work in the weight room.
"It's getting stronger," he said. "I'm getting my squat strength back — when I went home (earlier this summer), I did 20 reps at 210 pounds. It's getting there, but I just have to get the strength in my right leg to match the strength in my left."
Holyfield admits to "feeling the left leg doing more of the work" than the right.
The timeline for his return to the field remains up in the air. Holyfield, who has added about 10 pounds of muscle to get up to his current weight of 190, said he plans to be patient and follow the instructions of his doctors and trainers.
"I'm going to do what they tell me and stay on schedule," he said. "Hopefully I'll be back by camp. We'll see."