NFL Injury Report: Week 1 Thursday
Tonight, the first game of the 2016 NFL Season will kick off, and even though everyone’s record is 0-0, not every team’s NFL injury report will start the season with a clean slate.
Teams preach depth at every position before the regular season, and the smart GMs do whatever they can to assemble a roster that has viable “next men up” at key positions. A quick glance at the weekly NFL injury report will tell you exactly why depth is so valuable, because it separates the contenders from the pretenders.
Denver Broncos vs. Carolina Panthers
The Denver Broncos have already ruled wide receiver Bennie Fowler out, because he suffered a small fracture in his elbow last month. Fowler’s return date is unknown, but he could be out there for the Broncos key AFC matchup in Week 2 against the playoff-worthy Indianapolis Colts.
Denver has listed tight end Jeff Heuerman as questionable, and it would be nice to see him on the field. Heuerman was hyped up as a potential sleeper tight end prospect in 2015 (fellow Ohio State product and current rookie Nick Vannett hopes to generate some hype of his own this season), but he never played a down as a rookie due to injury. Heuerman is listed with an ankle injury, and it remains to be seen if he can ever be healthy enough to contribute for the Broncos. Just 23, the former third-round pick figures to have the most natural talent at TE on the Broncos roster.
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A third Broncos injury to watch is right guard and swing tackle Ty Sambrailo‘s elbow injury, which has him listed as questionable. He managed to return to practice on Sunday, but it looks like another young former tackle, Michael Schofield, will get the start. All eyes will be on the Broncos offensive line.
The Panthers most notable injury is to first-round defensive tackle Vernon Butler, who is questionable with a hand injury. Per the NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, Butler dislocated his ring finger and is expected to be “fine” for tonight’s tilt.
Jacksonville Jaguars vs. Green Bay Packers
The injury reports haven’t been released for this game, but let’s take a look at a few injuries that are worth keeping an eye on when they do come out tomorrow.
ESPN.com’s Rob Demovsky passed along a quote from Packers head coach Mike McCarthy stating that wide receiver Jeff Janis could play this week’s game with a club on his hand. No, Janis wouldn’t be expected to catch passes like that, but he is one of the most valuable special teams players around the league. Having him out there for those plays will be helpful.
Eddie Lacy didn’t miss practice– nor was he limited participant– but the constant rumblings about his conditioning make him worthy of a brief note here. McCarthy, as per Demovsky, said Lacy had a “solid camp” and is “ready to go”. Get ready to see him savagely barreling forward for first downs against the new-look Jaguars defense.
Rookie wide receiver Trevor Davis has potential, but we probably won’t see it on Sunday. That’s because Davis was downgraded to a limited practice on Wednesday with a shoulder injury before missing practice completely today. Don’t count on him suiting up, because mid-week downgrades, especially to young players, are never a good sign.
Dial in back-to-back limited practice sessions for offseason signing Chris Ivory, who is dealing with a nagging calf ailment. Although we should expect to see the hard-nosed 1,000-yard rusher out there against Green Bay’s run D, this is a situation to monitor. Ivory constantly deals with nagging injuries, but aside from any long-term concerns, this is a great chance for second-year Alabama product T.J. Yeldon to shine after a mediocre rookie season.
The oft-overlooked Jared Odrick is currently in the league’s concussion protocol, Jaguars head coach Gus Bradley believes he will play.
Baltimore Ravens vs. Buffalo Bills
Elvis Dumervil, Jerraud Powers, and rookie running back Kenneth Dixon all figure to be key players for the Baltimore Ravens this upcoming season. Unfortunately, all three of them have not practiced this week, and Dumervil– the best of the bunch– has already been ruled out. If none of them play, this week’s game against Buffalo will be a good early test of the Ravens depth, which was generally non-existent in 2015.
Cardale Jones and Colt Anderson missed practice, but the Bills are in good shape otherwise as we head into their Week 1 battle.
Houston Texans vs. Chicago Bears
Electrifying deep threat and Notre Dame rookie Will Fuller is listed as a limited participant in Texans practices, but don’t worry about him. Barring an unexpected setback, he will be ready to rock against the Bears unproven secondary.
Chris Clark looks ready to start at left tackle in the place of the injured Duane Brown, but the Texans won’t have to miss starting right tackle Derek Newton, who resumed practice on Monday after missing a chunk of time with a hamstring injury.
Sadly, the Bears added Kevin White to the injury report with a hamstring injury, stating that he only gave the team a limited practice today. Watch his status closely, and we are all anxiously waiting for the former West Virginia star’s NFL debut.
Star corner Kyle Fuller returned to practice on Monday, but there’s no guarantee he’ll be ready to play this week. I wonder if the Bears will push him or let him rest against a non-conference opponent.
Kyle Long, who recently earned a four-year extension, was limited at practice today.
Philadelphia Eagles vs. Cleveland Browns
Talented pass rusher Vinny Curry was a limited participant at today’s practice with a knee injury, but he should be out there.
As for the Browns, neither Joe Thomas nor Marcus Burley practiced on Wednesday. Thomas is back after that day of rest, but expect the recently-claimed cornerback to sit out with a hamstring/groin injury.
Atlanta Falcons vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
This highly-anticipated NFC South grudge match will feature Julio Jones, who returned to a full practice today. Don’t be surprised that new pass rusher Dwight Freeney missed practice on Wednesday, because I’m sure Atlanta just wants to keep him fresh. As for rookie safety Keanu Neal, his knee scope could keep him out for a couple of weeks.
The Buccaneers don’t have any big injuries, as tight end Luke Stocker returned to a full practice today after dealing with some back pain.
Tennessee Titans vs. Minnesota Vikings
Kendall Wright has been ruled out with a hamstring injury, giving Tajae Sharpe and Rishard Matthews even bigger opportunities to shine.
Jerick McKinnon missed practice today after being held to a limited session (foot injury) on Wednesday, so we could see a little bit of Matt Asiata against Tennessee.
New York Jets vs. Cincinnati Bengals
For this big-ticket Week 1 matchup, New York Jets fans won’t have to worry about superstar wide receiver Brandon Marshall‘s status, because he returned to a full practice. Marshall had already downplayed the hip injury, and we had no real reason to fret over his chances at suiting up.
Rookie Jordan Jenkins was held out of practice, and several notable names, including second-year beast Leonard Williams, were limited today. The Jets defense should expect to field linebackers Bruce Carter and David Harris, but fans will still watch for their statuses on Friday.
Tyler Kroft is locked in to play this week, but starting tight end Tyler Eifert‘s status is complete questionable. I’m willing to be that he’ll be a game-time call.
Beat writers did not spot offensive tackle Eric Winston at Bengals practice.
New Orleans Saints vs. Oakland Raiders
Linebacker Dannell Ellerbe still hasn’t practiced and looks like a game-time call, but, on the bright side, elite tackle Terron Armstead continues to project confidence regarding his Week 1 status against a dangerous Raiders team (and pass rush).
Meanwhile, the Raiders only injured player seems to be offensive tackle Austin Howard, and we can pretty much safely rule him out of this week’s game.
Kansas City Chiefs vs. San Diego Chargers
Both of these teams will try to show the rest of the league what they are made of in 2016, and the Chargers are undoubtedly more in need of making a statement. With DJ Fluker back at practice, San Diego has no injuries to report.
Kansas City’s Charcandrick West looks ready to roll as Spencer Ware‘s backup in Week 1. Though Jamaal Charles is practicing for the Chiefs, there’s been a feeling that he will be held out. I’m not willing to place any bets here, though, so look out for Charles as a game-time decision on Sunday.
Outside linebacker Tamba Hali figures to be on a snap count as the Chiefs ease him back into the action after another offseason knee scope. Remember, Justin Houston is on the reserve/PUP list.
Seattle Seahawks vs. Miami Dolphins
Russell Wilson keeps praising Jimmy Graham and says the big-name tight end “looks great”, but the team doesn’t quite know yet if he’ll be ready to suit up in Week 1. Consider Graham a game-time toss-up. Nick Vannett has already been ruled out. Tharold Simon and Jarran Reed practiced today, so expect them to be out there vs. Miami.
The Dolphins best outside receiver, DeVante Parker, hasn’t been formally ruled out, but I highly doubt he plays due to a hamstring injury. The criminally underrated Jelani Jenkins returned to practice yesterday and looks ready to start what could be a big 2016 campaign on the right foot against a fearsome Seahawks offense.
Indianapolis Colts vs. Detroit Lions
Vontae Davis is, of course, out, so be ready for Marvin Jones to do his best to feast against the notoriously up-and-down Antonio Cromartie, who was a pretty good band-aid signing by Indianapolis– all things considered. Rookie Joe Haeg returned to practice today, but Clayton Geathers and Darius Butler did not. None of those three players look ready to play, as of right now.
Don’t worry about Andrew Luck‘s “limited” designation. It’s meaningless.
Golden Tate returned to a full practice today, and he is locked in as a dangerous fantasy play against the Colts porous, Davis-less pass defense. Fellow star pass-catcher Eric Ebron looks ready to go and will be itching to have a breakout campaign.
Dallas Cowboys vs. New York Giants
This rivalry rarely disappoints us, and Dak Prescott should add plenty of fire to it with Tony Romo out for a significant period of time. Rookie pass rusher Charles Tapper has also been ruled out this week.
Giants rookie safety Darian Thompson is a limited participant, but he is just far too important to this team’s coverage down the field to miss such an important game against the likes of Dez Bryant, Terrance Williams, and Brice Butler.
Arizona Cardinals vs. New England Patriots
All eyes will be on Jimmy Garoppolo, Chandler Jones, and two Super Bowl contenders on Sunday Night Football in the desert. Edge rusher Kareem Martin is the only Cardinal not practicing, and he will likely miss a few weeks after spraining his MCL in Week 4 of the preseason.
Promising Georgia Bulldogs rookie Malcolm Mitchell could work his way into a key role in the Patriots offense later this season, but despite a limited practice session, he may not play in Week 1. More importantly to the Patriots offense, Rob Gronkowski is not 100% due to a hamstring injury, and it may come down to Bill Belichick’s call. Though Garoppolo is an unknown, the Patriots have held star players out of early games before, so this SNF game-time decision is a fantasy player’s nightmare.
Washington Redskins vs. Pittsburgh Steelers
Potentially outstanding rookie wide receiver Josh Doctson got himself a limited practice session today, but he looks like a real game-time call for the Monday nighter against the Pittsburgh Steelers unproven secondary. Running back Matt Jones, however, looks like a full-go.
Markus Wheaton, Senquez Golson, and Cody Wallace all missed practice today for the Steelers. Wheaton is the team’s No. 2 wide receiver right now, and he was limited on Wednesday. If he misses practice on Friday, he’s out. If he suits up, there’s a 95% chance he plays. I expect him to play, but this smells like a potential game-time decision.
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San Francisco 49ers vs. Los Angeles Rams
Will Week 1 be kind to Carlos Hyde again? The former Ohio State star is no longer on the injury report after practicing fully, and the 49ers will be counting on him to be 100% against a division rival that tends to play fellow NFC West teams the toughest. Defensive lineman Glenn Dorsey is also ready to play after last season’s ACL tear.
It doesn’t look like the Rams have any injuries, but Jared Goff could be a healthy scratch.