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The NFL certainly wants its players to stay healthy through training camp and be in peak football condition for Week 1. The league has implemented rules limiting the number of full-padded practices. Rules requiring a certain number of offdays. Rules requiring a “ramp-up” to full contact instead of throwing players into the ring on Day 1. Yet injuries are inevitable. Through one-plus week of training camp, significant or concerning injuries are already starting to crop up. ▪ Let’s start in Atlanta, where the Falcons’ best-laid plans at pass rusher are going up in flames. They used first-round picks a year ago on Jalon Walker (15th) and James Pearce (26th), who combined for 16 sacks as rookies but may be out for the start of this season. Pearce (10½ sacks) faces a potentially lengthy suspension stemming from a February arrest for on several charges, and Walker (5½ sacks) is out for the season after tearing his ACL this past week. Walker isn’t a traditional edge rusher, and the Falcons were counting on him to take a big jump in Year 2 as a jack-of-all trades defender. “Injuries are the worst part of our game,” Falcons coach Kevin Stefanski said Friday. ▪ Depth at edge rusher is not the only issue facing Stefanski in his first camp as Falcons coach. The Falcons would like to have a competition at quarterback, but Michael Penix isn’t cleared for team drills as he returns from a torn ACL, and Tua Tagovailoa was out of practice for a few days with a back injury. “Nothing too serious,” Tagovailoa said. “It was just a flareup, nothing big, not anything long term. We’ll be fine.” Tagovailoa is the favorite to win the Week 1 job, but a back injury flaring up in the first week of camp is never ideal. ▪ The Broncos’ big addition this offseason was a trade for former Dolphins receiver Jaylen Waddle, and he displayed a great connection with quarterback Bo Nix over the first few days of camp. But Waddle will miss some of training camp after suffering a left leg injury Wednesday that coach Sean Payton called “a strain.” Waddle’s progress is something to monitor, because injuries such as hamstring and groin pulls in camp often linger for several weeks and can stifle a player’s preparation for the season. ▪ The Bengals were hopeful that Shemar Stewart’s disappointing rookie season was behind him. The 17th pick a year ago, Stewart openly squabbled with the Bengals over his contract language, fell behind after skipping the offseason program, and had just one sack in eight games in an injury-plagued season. But Stewart returned to Cincinnati this offseason healthy and ready to go. “He gives us great versatility,” defensive coordinator Al Golden said at the beginning of camp. “We should see a huge jump with him.” Yet Stewart is expected to miss several weeks after being carted off the practice field with a hyperextended left knee on July 29. Coach Zac Taylor said the Bengals were “very fortunate” that Stewart avoided a season-ending injury, but he’s falling behind for the second year in a row. ▪ The Bears went younger in their secondary this offseason, letting 32-year-old free safety Kevin Byard leave for the Patriots in free agency despite his earning first-team All Pro honors last year, and replaced him with 27-year-old Coby Bryant from the Seahawks for $40 million over three years. But the Bears were thrown a curveball Monday when Bryant suffered a hyperextended left knee and bone bruise in practice, an injury that is expected to keep him out well into October. Chicago is not only counting on Bryant to patrol center field, but be a mentor for safety Dillon Thieneman, its first-round pick. “Obviously it [stinks] to lose a guy like that for any particular time,” Bears defensive coordinator Dennis Allen said. “He’s a big part of what we have planned to do.” The Bears’ secondary is operating at about half strength, with nickel cornerback Kyler Gordon still on the physically unable to perform list with a calf injury. ▪ Two first-round picks from April’s draft have yet to do much on the field. The Chiefs traded from No. 9 to the sixth pick to draft LSU cornerback Mansoor Delane to replace Trent McDuffie, who was traded to the Rams. Yet Delane missed most of the offseason program with a shoulder injury, and has been a limited participant in camp while wearing a noncontact jersey. This after coach Andy Reid said in June that Delane should be fine for training camp. Delane is getting walk-through and mental reps, but defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo said the team needs to see “a lot” out of Delane before committing to him as a Week 1 starter. “The thing he’s missing right now is the continuity with a bunch of guys who are new to him,” Spagnuolo said. ▪ Everyone loves what the Jets are doing in the draft, after they came away with three first-round picks this year and set themselves up with three more next year. But tight end Kenyon Sadiq, their second pick this year at No. 16, still hasn’t practiced after undergoing core muscle surgery in May. Coach Aaron Glenn said the team got “pretty good news” that Sadiq will only be out a couple more weeks, and “it’s not anything that’s going to keep him out of the regular season.” But Sadiq plays the most complicated position on offense outside of quarterback, and it’s not ideal that he hasn’t practiced yet. ▪ That electrical substation is hitting the 49ers hard. Ricky Pearsall already had season-ending knee surgery, and this past week fellow receivers Mike Evans (quad strain), Christian Kirk (calf), and De’Zhuan Stribling (hamstring) missed practice. San Francisco ended Wednesday’s session down about 20 players because of injury. Interim coach Chris Foerster downplayed the injuries. “If you’re not practicing football hard, you can get through camp easily without injuries,” he said. KNEE DEEP The good news for Gabe Jacas is that Jadeveon Clowney has had a long, productive career. Clowney has 66½ sacks over 12 seasons, and just signed up for a 13th this past week with a return to the Texans. What’s the connection? Clowney and Jacas have similar, degenerative knee conditions. Jacas’s injury is a “large osteochondral defect” in his left knee, as described by an injury waiver the Patriots negotiated in his rookie contract. The waiver allows the Patriots to void the guarantees if Jacas reinjures his left knee in the next three seasons. The injury potentially slipped by the entire NFL — two other teams told the Globe they had no record of a knee injury for Jacas during his medical checks at the Combine. Had the Patriots known about the osteochondral defect in April, it’s unlikely they would have traded up to take him at No. 55 given that his condition could prevent him from having a long career. “Yes, it’s a big deal,” said former Chargers head physician Dr. David Chao, who now analyzes NFL injuries for SICScore.com. “If you said a kid has a large osteochondral lesion, I would be downgrading his draft grade score, and sight unseen, warning general managers that this guy might not have a long NFL career. “It’s not a ‘don’t touch,’ but it’s a ‘stop and consider.’ If you took an over-under on him, it would be a victory if he made it to a second contract.” Though Clowney has had a long career, his knee has scared teams away from signing him to a long-term deal. Clowney had microfracture surgery as a rookie in 2014, and since his first contract expired after the 2018 season, he has signed eight one-year deals, with seven different teams. “He has outperformed our expectations with microfracture surgery, and he’s had a very good career,” Chao said of Clowney. “But he has never gotten a long-term contract because of that lesion. It’s always been one-year deals.” ETC. Chiefs right on at tackle The Chiefs have struggled to find a right tackle the last several years, but not for lack of trying. They spent $60 million over three years on Jawaan Taylor, and when he couldn’t cut it, they gave swing tackle Jaylon Moore a two-year, $30 million contract. But the Chiefs may have found their right tackle in the bargain bin. Kahlil Benson, an undrafted rookie out of Indiana, took all the first-team reps in two days of practice this past week and seems to have surpassed Moore on the depth chart. Benson isn’t just an undrafted free agent – he didn’t even get signed initially after the draft. Kansas City invited him to rookie minicamp on a tryout basis, along with about 100 other players. “I think Kahlil is doing a great job,” left tackle Josh Simmons said. “I think you can’t really teach effort. I mean, that’s what he’s giving out there, so that’s really all I’m telling him right now is keep doing that effort.” Even if Benson beats out Moore for the job, the Chiefs probably want to keep both players for depth, especially with Patrick Mahomes returning from an ACL injury. But Moore should expect to be asked to take a pay cut. “I think you let them compete and see where it goes,” Reid said. “Both of them can play. We’ll need all of them. That’s how it goes.” Vested veterans Speaking of pay cuts, it’s worth reviewing one key contract provision that serves as a double-edged sword for veteran players. It’s that for any player considered a “vested veteran” — someone with four or more years of NFL service — his entire base salary becomes fully guaranteed if he is on the Week 1 roster. It’s great and a big sigh of relief for players who make the team. But it often works against veterans when it comes to roster cutdowns. Veterans who sign in Week 2 onward are only paid for the weeks they are employed, further encouraging teams to cut veterans before Week 1. To use Moore as an example, his base salary is $14.24 million, and it becomes fully guaranteed if he is on the Chiefs’ roster by 4 p.m. Tuesday of Week 1. But only $7 million was guaranteed when he signed last year. If the Chiefs cut Moore before Tuesday of Week 1, they no longer owe him $14.24 million, but they still owe him $7 million, offset by whatever Moore makes if he signs with another team. More likely, because of the guaranteed money, the Chiefs would approach Moore toward the end of training camp, and tell him that if he wants to remain, he’ll accept a pay cut down to $7 million. Sometimes the team will throw the player a small bone like an incentive bonus or a $500,000 raise for his troubles. The player often accepts, because staying with the current team is usually better than being cut loose. The Patriots cut guard Mike Onwenu’s pay from $17.5 million to $10 million this offseason, and as an olive branch, removed the weight bonus that was previously in his contract. Dart board John Harbaugh is an old-school coach who loves physical practices and at least twice during his tenure in Baltimore got fined for breaking offseason practice rules. His Giants are led by two fiery youngsters, quarterback Jaxson Dart and running back Cam Skattebo, who never met a brick wall they didn’t try to run through. So it is of little surprise that the Giants’ practices down at The Greenbrier in West Virginia have been getting chippy. When Dart scored a rushing touchdown Tuesday, he fired the ball at cornerback Greg Newsome, hitting him in the helmet and setting off a scrum. The defensive players were none too happy, and Harbaugh pushed the extra point back 15 yards for taunting. “Do you think I need to say anything in that case? It’s pretty clear-cut,” Harbaugh said. “I think [Dart] understands that we don’t want it for the game-winning extra point, we don’t want it to be a 50-yard extra point or so.” Money matters Several wide receivers are licking their chops after Zay Flowers signed a four-year contract extension with the Ravens worth $140 million in new money, or $35 million per year. This makes the Boston College product the fourth-highest-paid receiver, behind Jaxon Smith-Njigba ($42.15 million), Ja’Marr Chase ($40.25 million), and Drake London ($35.263 million), tied with Justin Jefferson, and just ahead of CeeDee Lamb ($34 million). Flowers has made two Pro Bowls in three seasons and is coming off a career year with 86 catches for 1,211 yards and five touchdowns. But with all due respect, he is not the fourth-best receiver in the NFL. Jefferson and Lamb, who signed their deals in 2024, are probably thinking about a raise. Puka Nacua, looking for a new contract, might reset the market now, and George Pickens might beat him when his franchise tag expires next March. The $50 million the Patriots owe A.J. Brown the next two years suddenly doesn’t seem too expensive. Extra points Smart move by the Commanders to sign Stefon Diggs, which also seems to mean they won’t be signing Brandon Aiyuk. Diggs, a D.C.-area native, does come with a little baggage, but he was terrific for the Patriots last year, will be in his second year removed from ACL surgery, and should be a solid veteran to pair with Terry McLaurin. He also carries far less baggage than Aiyuk, who hasn’t played in almost two years because of a significant knee injury, and has torpedoed his career with bizarre behavior and social media posts that got him suspended from the 49ers … Former Panthers (and Boston College) linebacker Luke Kuechly this weekend becomes the second-youngest Hall of Fame inductee at just 35 years old. Gale Sayers was only 34, while Jim Brown and Calvin Johnson were also 35, and Earl Campbell and Dick Butkus were 36 … The Packers have become a landing spot for former Patriots coaches. T.C. McCartney, the quarterbacks coach in New England in 2024, is an offensive quality control coach in Green Bay. DeMarcus Covington, a Patriots position coach and defensive coordinator from 2017-24, is the Packers’ run game coordinator and assistant head coach/defense. And Cam Achord is Green Bay’s special teams coordinator after holding a similar job with the Patriots (2018-23) … The Ravens had a special guest on Thursday — Ferran Torres, who scored the World Cup-winning goal for Spain. “Just a really cool message,” Baltimore coach Jesse Minter said. “This guy came off the bench in the final of the World Cup, in extra time, scored the game-winning goal. Talk about just being ready when your number is called, being at your best when your best is needed.” Ben Volin can be reached at ben.volin@globe.com.