FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. -- Rookie running back Chris "Beanie" Wells sprained his right ankle in his first training-camp practice with the Arizona Cardinals on Saturday, but coach Ken Whisenhunt said the next day that the injury doesn't appear serious.
However, Whisenhunt added, it's uncertain how much practice time Wells will miss.
Age: 20
Height: 6-1 Weight: 228
College: Ohio State
Experience: Rookie
"We'll see how he progresses through the week," Whisenhunt said of the Cardinals' first-round draft pick. "I don't anticipate it will be what everybody's reacting to, saying he's out for a month or something like that."
Wells signed a five-year, $11.8 million contract, with $6.345 million guaranteed, on Saturday. But he was hurt later in the day when he was carrying the ball in a drill near the end of the workout.
"It was a little pain, but I got up and walked off with it," Wells said. "It wasn't anything too serious. They just wanted to get an MRI and get it checked out."
Wells watched Sunday's practice and afterward acknowledged his frustration.
"I'm definitely disappointed about it," he said. "I've been going through the injury thing quite a while now, and yesterday was just a fluke. It could have happened to anybody. Somebody just rolled up on my ankle."
Wells, who missed the first three games of his final season at Ohio State with a foot problem, was grateful this injury wasn't more serious.
"If you guys saw it, it was a bad play, and I'm just fortunate to walk away from it with nothing but an ankle sprain," he said.
Wells already was behind after missing the Cardinals' summer voluntary workouts because his Ohio State classes were still in session.
"I'm still staying caught up with Coach (Curtis) Modkins and the rest of the running backs in the film room," Wells said.
After he arrived Saturday, Wells said it was his goal to win the Cardinals' No. 1 running back job by the start of regular season. Second-year pro Tim Hightower is listed as the starter, but Wells said his feelings haven't changed.
"I think an ankle sprain is nothing too major," he said. "If I get on top of it, it will go away quickly."
Whisenhunt downplayed the significance of the injury to Wells' status on the team.
"Unfortunately for Beanie, he's a rookie, and it would have been nice to get him some reps," the coach said, "but we still have plenty of time to do that."
Copyright 2009 by The Associated Press
