Whenever I see that players such as Mazi Smith and Luke Schoonmaker have surgeries so long after the season ended that it will cause them to miss OTAs and minicamp, I wonder why so late? Why not have the surgery sooner in order to avoid missing training time, especially when, as in the cases of both Mazi and Luke, so much will be needed from them in the upcoming season? – Dan Flores/Crestview, FL
Nick Harris: With Mazi Smith, his surgery was done much earlier in the offseason than when it was reported, so he will have that full time. With Schoonmaker and other "later" surgeries that happen, there are bruises and pain that typically take a few weeks to subside when the season ends. Every year, a player will have one or two. When the pain continues on past a realistic recovery time, that's when you start checking out if something more substantial is going on. With Schoonmaker, it warranted a shoulder surgery. The expectation is that both will be ready in time for camp, though.
