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Englewood, Colo. • Rahim Moore was so excited for the Denver Broncos' first practice of the offseason — and his first in six months — that he sauntered out of the locker room with his jersey on backward.
So, he spun it around and it got stuck halfway with the sleeves in front and back and he found himself in an even bigger bind.
"I was just all over the place — I felt like I'd never done this before," Moore said. "And then when I got out here, I felt like I'd never left."
Moore hadn't faced an offense since undergoing emergency surgery on his left leg last November.
He was one of several Broncos who had to watch the Super Bowl from the sideline and who returned to the football field for the AFC champs' first 11-on-11 drills of the year Wednesday.
Joining him were fellow safety Quinton Carter, pass-rusher Von Miller (limited), defensive lineman Derek Wolfe and left tackle Ryan Clady.
Cornerback Chris Harris Jr. worked on the side with a strength and conditioning coach while his teammates enjoyed their first offense vs. defense practice since the lead-up to the Super Bowl on Feb. 2.
"I think a lot of guys have been excited for this day," Peyton Manning said. "Finally get to put on jerseys and helmets and it's great to see a lot of guys back out on the practice field, guys that were injured last year. ...
"How much work these guys have put in from a rehab standpoint, to get back on the field I know was a monumental step for a number of guys, especially a guy like Ryan Clady."
Manning has compared the return of his blindside protector, a perennial Pro Bowler who played just two games last season before sustaining a foot injury, to the signing of the league's top free agent or top overall draft pick.
One of Denver's marquee free agents, defensive end DeMarcus Ware, also is coming back from an injury-filled 2013 season, missing games for the first time in his career with a thigh injury and playing through a balky right elbow that required surgery in February just before the Dallas Cowboys released him.
"I'm not 100 percent, but in these types of practices, you don't have to go 100 percent," Ware said.
Although there was no live hitting, this was the first time Denver's rebuilt defense and its refurbished offense squared off.
"Well, it's real football," coach John Fox said. "You get to practice against somebody. Offense and defense practice against each other. That's really the first phase where that's allowed by the (collective bargaining agreement). So, I just call it 'real football.' Back on the grass. I think they get excited and I know all the coaches get excited about it."
Coaches cautioned players not to go all-out before they put on the pads for a minicamp next month. Several players across the league sustained season-ending injuries during OTAs this week, including Ware's former teammate, linebacker Sean Lee, who tore a ligament in his left knee Tuesday.
"First of all, the players, we're really concerned, especially the first meeting that we had here this morning, really thinking about our health and not trying to go as hard, not like you have pads on," Ware said. "Really just taking care of each other but being able to get your mental reps in and still being able to be physical but having the right technique."
Another of Denver's big-time free agents, safety T.J. Ward, addressed the media for the first time since being charged with assault last week over an incident at a strip club in which he was seen on surveillance video throwing a glass mug at a female bartender on May 10.
"Any time there's negativity, you know, about yourself, it's a little embarrassing," Ward said. ... "But it's all being resolved, and I'm looking forward to just moving forward and continuing with the OTAs."
Nobody seemed happier to get back to the business of football than Moore, who underwent emergency surgery Nov. 18 to relieve pressure in the muscle sheath in his lower left leg, a rare condition known as lateral compartment syndrome that can cost patients a limb or even their life.
"I feel like it was my first time ever playing football," Moore said. "I got a little teary eyed during warm-ups."
Around the league
Cowboys • Dallas Cowboys linebacker Sean Lee could miss the 2014 season after tearing a ligament in his left knee in the first offseason practice.
The team hasn't announced results of an MRI but reported on its website Wednesday that Lee has been told he has a torn anterior cruciate ligament.
The oft-injured Lee went down during the 11-on-11 portion of Tuesday's practice. His left leg slid out from under him as rookie guard Zack Martin was closing in for a block, and Martin rolled over him.
With Lee's injury and the release of franchise sacks leader DeMarcus Ware, the Cowboys could be without their top two defenders after finishing last in the league in total defense a year ago.
Contact isn't allowed in offseason workouts, but blockers frequently engage linemen and linebackers before plays stop in 11-on-11 drills. Lee was already on his way to the ground when Martin lunged over him.
"I don't really know what happened," said Martin, the Cowboys' first-round pick at No. 16. "Two guys playing hard, running to the ball."
The 27-year-old Lee hasn't played a full season in four years. The middle linebacker has missed 15 games over the past two years, including five of the final six games in 2013 with hamstring and neck injuries.
Lee signed a six-year extension worth up to $51 million last year, but durability-based incentives are built into the deal. He's already likely to miss out on a bonus in 2015 for not playing enough snaps in 2013 or the coming season.
When healthy, Lee is among the most productive linebackers in the league, leading his position with 11 interceptions since entering the league in 2010 despite missing 18 games. But his injury history dates to his college days, when he also tore a knee ligament during offseason workouts. The right knee injury in spring practice in 2008 kept him out that season, pushing his senior year to 2009.
The Cowboys had a first-round grade on him for the 2010 draft but got him late in the second round because of the injuries.
Panthers • Cam Newton is quickly working his way back from ankle surgery.
Carolina's Pro Bowl quarterback did some light throwing during Wednesday's OTA and coach Ron Rivera said afterward he wouldn't rule out Newton participating in the team's mandatory minicamp June 17-19.
"I wouldn't put it past him," Rivera said.
If Newton can return early that would give him a chance to begin developing some chemistry with a completely revamped receiving corps.
Carolina parted ways with its top four receivers from last season, including Steve Smith.
Newton went through warm-ups with his teammates and then mostly played the role of cheerleader during the two-hour practice session, except for a short period where he threw 10- to 20-yard passes to receivers from a stationary position. However, Newton stayed after practice to throw a few dozen additional passes to some of the team's younger wide receivers, including first-round draft pick Kelvin Benjamin.
The QB had surgery to relieve chronic pain in his left ankle and had been expected to miss four months — which would have kept him out until just before the start of training camp.
But he appears ahead of schedule.
"He's been doing it for the last few days — throwing the ball on the side," Rivera said. "He's been looking good, he really has. And I'm excited about it. He says that foot is getting stronger and stronger every day so we're excited about what's happening for him."
Newton did not address the media Wednesday.
He has been working on building a relationship with Benjamin, who helped Florida State win a national championship last season and is a player the team hopes will develop into the No. 1 receiver to replace Smith, who was released during the offseason.
"It's neat to see," Rivera said. "They have kind of hit it off."
Defensive end Greg Hardy, who was arrested earlier this month for assaulting a female and communicating threats, did participate in practice. However, he declined interview requests as he left the practice field saying he had to get inside the stadium to lift weights.
Hardy is scheduled to appear in court June 27 to answer the misdemeanor charges.
Hardy's teammates said they don't believe his arrest will be a distraction.
"You just come to work. That's what we do — let the work speak for itself," said defensive end Charles Johnson. "I don't get into people's personal lives. As long as (guys) come to work ready to work."
Hardy has been a major producer for the Panthers the last two seasons.
After registering 11 sacks in 2012, Hardy tied a franchise record with 15 sacks last season and was selected to his first Pro Bowl.
"Greg's looked really good," Rivera said. "It's tough because we're not in pads, so when he comes off the ball the tackles can't really strike him the way you normally would in pads. So I think advantage goes to him right now. He's very quick, very athletic and doing some very good things."
The NFC South champion Panthers made Hardy their franchise player earlier this year, giving him more than $13 million for the 2014 season. But that decision forced the salary cap strapped Panthers to part ways with other players following a 12-4 season..
Gone are Smith and fellow receivers Brandon LaFell and Ted Ginn Jr., offensive tackle Jordan Gross and defensive backs Captain Munnerlyn and Mike Mitchell.
Johnson said he expects a lot of people to count the Panthers out because of the players they've lost from last year's team.
He recommends they don't.
"Just because we have new people doesn't mean we aren't going to do good," Johnson said. "We are going to be all right."
Bills • The Buffalo Bills signed first-round pick Sammy Watkins to his rookie contract Wednesday.
The Bills announced the signing shortly after the team's first session of organized team activities.
"It's great just to put all that behind me, just to know you have financial stability," Watkins said. "Now it's just all football. Every day I have to come in and worry about football and my plays and my job and just work out there."
Buffalo is counting on Watkins to immediately step into the starting lineup for a team that has not been to the playoffs since 1999, the NFL's longest current drought.
The Bills moved up five spots in the draft in a trade with the Cleveland Browns to select Watkins fourth overall. The 6-foot-1, 211-pound wideout is known for his playmaking abilities and has tremendous speed and hands.
Wednesday was Watkins' first official practice with quarterback EJ Manuel and the rest of the offense. He lined up with the starting unit at receiver alongside fellow offseason acquisition Mike Williams.
Watkins and Manuel had a slow start to the session. An early pass intended for Watkins was off the mark and intercepted by cornerback Corey Graham.
But the duo responded accordingly. The two later hooked up for receptions over the middle and down the left sideline.
"It's coming along," Watkins said. "We've got a lot to work on, a lot of different routes and schemes we've got to clean up a little bit. But it's a process."
Watkins will miss Buffalo's remaining two sessions this week as he heads to Los Angeles to participate in the 2014 NFLPA Rookie Premiere. He made it clear he would prefer to be on the football field adjusting to life with the Bills.
"I would rather stay here and get the connection with the quarterback. I don't want to fall behind," Watkins said. "It's kind of sad that I have to leave for three to four days and everybody has that two to three days ahead of me. So I really have to study the plays and get out there running and training, not get behind too far."
Patriots • A spilled drink in a Boston nightclub led former New England tight end Aaron Hernandez to kill two people in a drive-by shooting two years ago, prosecutors said Wednesday.
Prosecutors said Hernandez felt disrespected after a stranger bumped into him and spilled his drink, prompting him to follow the man and his friends then open fire on their car at a red light.
"I think I got one in the head and one in the chest," Hernandez told a friend as they fled the intersection, prosecutors said at the former gridiron star's arraignment.
Hernandez, already charged with killing another man last year, pleaded not guilty Wednesday to seven charges — including two counts of first-degree murder — in the July 2012 shooting that killed Daniel de Abreu and Safiro Furtado. A third man was wounded.