Wide receiver cracks bone in pelvis but could return in just a few days.
MEQUON, WIS. — After arriving late, Donnie Avery is leaving early. But not for as long as was first feared.
Avery, a speedy wide receiver out of the University of Houston and the Rams' second-round draft choice in April, cracked a bone in his pelvic area Monday when he landed hard after stretching out to make a catch. Still, he could be back on the field sooner rather than later.
"It's an unusual injury but not a serious injury," coach Scott Linehan said. "It could be a few days, it could be a week, probably not more than two weeks. He'll be able to run and train. It's more of a pain-tolerance type thing."
The first wideout taken in the draft, Avery missed the first two practices of training camp while his agent negotiated with the Rams' front office. Avery wound up getting a four-year contract worth $4.8 million, with $2.775 million guaranteed.
He was taking part in his fourth practice when he was hurt. He was back on the field Tuesday, but without pads and running leisurely routes.
"It's just a little hairline fracture, really minor," Avery explained. He said team physician Matt Matava told him "just to avoid contact, and I'll be back out there with the boys in a couple of days."
Avery acknowledged that he could let frustration get the better of him. But he has decided to remain upbeat, realizing that had he sustained the same injury a month or so from now, as the regular season approached, the consequences would have been far greater.
"I'm just looking ahead and thinking, 'OK, if I miss these couple of days, I'll be OK for the rest of the camp. But if I keep on going, I'll be messed up for the rest of the year,'" he said. "So I'm happy just to sit back for a while and ... then get back into the swing of things."
Mark Setterstrom, who has been working with the first team at right guard, suited up but never got onto the field Tuesday. He complained of numbness in his lower right leg and was carted away for further examination.
"We think some of it is pinching of a nerve from a brace," Linehan said. "It's not the knee he hurt last year; it's his other leg. We sent him to get an MRI, just to make sure it wasn't anything serious."
A torn ligament in Setterstrom's left knee ended his 2007 season after just three weeks.