Two new players didn't practice on Tuesday, wide receiver Randall Cobb and running back James Starks.

The silver lining, if there is one, is that they didn't drop out because of any new injuries. Cobb is dealing with the same old biceps injury and Starks merely has an illness, no injury.

The rest of the news on the walking wounded in Green Bay...

Dropping Out of Practice

Wide receiver Randall Cobb, biceps

Commentary: One day after fighting through pain at practice and struggling with being "tough" and being "smart," it appears "smart" has won out with Cobb. Mike McCarthy indicated that Cobb had some swelling after yesterday's practice, and they'll give him at least two days of rest, meaning he won't practice on Thursday either. In addition, McCarthy called it "a stretch" for him to play in the preseason game on Saturday against the Rams.

Running back James Starks, chest illness

Commentary: Everything had been going so well with Starks at the beginning of training camp, it just seemed to good to be true. As fate would have it, he was pulled out of practice on Wednesday, like he has on so many other other occasions in the past. The good news, however, is Starks doesn't appear to have an injury. He was said to be "day to day" by McCarthy.

Returning to Practice

Offensive lineman T.J. Lang, back

Commentary: Seeing as Lang was able to play in the team's first preseason game, his back issue probably wasn't anything serious. The more the Packers' No. 1 offensive line is able to practice together, the better. Being present at practice will help the line to gel.

Tight end Ryan Taylor, knee

Commentary: Taylor returned not a moment too late. If he's going to push for a roster spot this season, he needs to be out on the field to earn it. While Taylor may be a good special teams player, that alone is not going to win him a roster spot. The team is waiting to see how he responds to practicing before determining if he'll play on Saturday.

Defensive lineman Ryan Pickett, personal reasons

Commentary: There appeared to be a family emergency on Tuesday that was more of a scare than anything. That's good news for Pickett's family, and similarly good news that he didn't miss practice with an injury.

Still Out

The following players' status hasn't changed (anticipated return in parentheses):

• Wide receiver Jordy Nelson, knee (regular-season opener)
• Defensive lineman Datone Jones, ankle (a couple days)
• Cornerback Casey Hayward, hamstring (a couple weeks, as of 7/26)
• Cornerback Tramon Williams, knee (a couple weeks, as of 7/30)
• Offensive lineman Derek Sherrod, leg (undetermined, on his "last hurdle," according to McCarthy)
• Wide receiver Charles Johnson, knee (undetermined)
• Tight end Andrew Quarless, quad (undetermined)
• Offensive lineman Andrew Datko, concussion ("getting close" as of 8/13)
• Safety Sean Richardson, neck (undetermined)
• Defensive lineman Jerel Worthy, knee (undetermined)
• Offensive lineman J.C. Tretter, ankle (regular season at the earliest)