Eagles Receiver Jeremy Maclin Cleared for Return to Team

The Philadelphia Eagles have been without wide receiver Jeremy Maclin since the NFL lockout ended due to an unnamed illness that had team officials and fans worried for his health. Many speculated that the explosive young receiver was suffering from a form of cancer but he should be able to return to practice in the next 10 days and should be available for the season opener at St. Louis.

Eagles trainer Rick Burkholder said that Maclin was experiencing symptoms of lymphoma including night sweats, fever, weight loss and loss of appetite. Undergoing tests for the past five months have not returned a conclusive result and he was ultimately cleared to play.

Maclin told FoxSports.com, "I was tested for everything and every single test came back negative. I don't have mono, I don't have AIDS, leukemia, all the things people were guessing on, there was nothing. I was being tested for lymphoma and thank God everything has come back negative.

"I wanted my privacy on this until I had answers. I don't like to talk unless I have all the answers about what I'm talking about. It was frustrating to hear all the rumors about me. It wasn't until this morning that I finally got my final answer and thankfully I'm healthy and ready to return to football."

Burkholder said in a call that Maclin's symptoms went away around late July and that the cause of the symptoms remains "vague." He continued, "We're confident that the life-threatening stuff is out of the mix."

Maclin is a welcome addition back to a team with high aspirations for the season. After adding several big names through free agency the Eagles return explosive players DeSean Jackson and Maclin at the receiver position. Maclin, only 23, had 70 receptions last season for 964 yards and 10 touchdowns.