Cobb: 'I don't plan on missing a game'

Randall Cobb's sprained right shoulder was still swollen enough to keep him out of the Green Bay Packers' final training camp practice Tuesday, but the Pro Bowl receiver believes his time away from the field will be minimal.

"I don't plan on missing a game," Cobb said. "I'm doing everything in my power to get back before then, but we still don't know severity. We've still got to get a lot of the swelling out. It definitely is a lot better then what we all thought it was in the beginning."

Cobb left Saturday's preseason game against the Philadelphia Eagles after just three snaps. He fell awkwardly on his right shoulder while diving for quarterback Brett Hundley's pass near the sideline. After team doctors briefly examined Cobb on the sideline, he left for the locker room and did not return.

Cobb initially thought he broke his collarbone, an injury that could've forced him to miss half the season. He said he feels relief that the injury is only minor.

"Obviously, it could've been a lot worse," Cobb said. "For not being what we thought it could've been is definitely a blessing."

It's unclear how soon Cobb will return to the practice field.

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The Packers are fully preparing for their final preseason game Thursday against the New Orleans Saints, when there will be no need to play their star receiver. When the team starts preparing for their opening trip to the Chicago Bears on Sept. 13, practice reps could be more valuable.

Cobb said he'll be comfortable enough to play against the Bears even if he doesn't practice beforehand.

"I don't think it really matters," Cobb said. "I'm going to go out and play football whenever I'm on the field. I didn't practice much going into the Bears back in 2013, and I came back after 10 weeks (recovering from a broken fibula). So I don't think it really matters."

There isn't a coach in the NFL who underappreciates the value of practice reps. So, yes, Packers receivers coach Alex Van Pelt would like to see Cobb on the practice field before the opener.

Even without practice, Van Pelt said, Cobb's goal to return before the Packers' opener is "absolutely" realistic. He has no doubts Cobb could play at a high level in Chicago without practicing the week leading up to the game.

The number of practice reps Cobb gets next week will be based on his medical status and whether he can be on the field without further aggravating the injury, Van Pelt said.

"He is a veteran player," Van Pelt said. "So that does alleviate the immediate urgency to get him back and make sure he has to practice all week. He's to the point where I think he could mentally prepare himself and come out and be healthy and ready to go on Sunday, but if he can practice we want him to practice, obviously."