Tag: ankle

REPORT: Michael Thomas expected to miss ‘several weeks’ with ankle injury

New Orleans Saints wide receiver Michael Thomas is expected to miss several weeks with an ankle injury suffered against the Buccaneers.

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The New Orleans Saints offense took a huge hit on Tuesday after further evaluating the high-ankle injury suffered by wide receiver Michael Thomas late in their Week 1 win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero and Ian Rapoport reported that Thomas is expected to miss several weeks while recovering after it was initially said that he hoped to gut out the pain in next week’s game with the Las Vegas Raiders.

It’s a big loss, even if Thomas’s importance wasn’t reflected on the Week 1 stats sheet (he went 3-of-5 for 17 yards). He’s not the NFL’s reining Offensive Player of the Year for nothing, and without him the Saints will have to rely more heavily on pass-catchers like Alvin Kamara and Jared Cook, as well as free agent pickup Emmanuel Sanders.

We’ll know more in the days ahead, once the Saints have released their first Week 2 injury report on Thursday. NFL teams are allowed to return players from the injured reserve list after three weeks this season, so if Thomas doesn’t land on I.R. it could suggest the Saints expect him to be game-ready sooner than that window would allow.

 

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Report: Michael Thomas planning to play through high-ankle injury

New Orleans Saints WR Michael Thomas went down in his team’s Week 1 win, but expects to play through an injury against the Las Vegas Raiders

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A scary moment quieted the already-hushed Mercedes-Benz Superdome late in Sunday’s Week 1 victory over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, when New Orleans Saints wide receiver Michael Thomas went down with a lower leg injury. Focused on blocking a Buccaneers defender, Thomas was bowled over by his falling teammate Latavius Murray, who landed awkwardly on Thomas’s back leg. Thomas exited the game but initially refused attention from Saints medical staff on the sidelines while attempting to walk it off.

On Monday, NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero reported that Thomas suffered a high-ankle injury in the collision, but Thomas intends to play through the pain in Week 2’s game against the Las Vegas Raiders. Pelissero’s NFL Network colleague Ian Rapoport added that Thomas will probably be listed as questionable to play on the injury report later this week.

It could be much worse; a full-on high-ankle sprain or bone injury could have sidelined Thomas for weeks. He was guarded well by the Buccaneers defense on Sunday and limited to just 3 catches (on 5 targets) for 17 yards, but Thomas is still the best player on the roster and a vital part of the offense. Having him ready to go at full speed is critical.

Fortunately, the Saints finally have enough weapons surrounding Thomas so that he doesn’t have to shoulder the weight of the world every week. Between 2019 Pro Bowlers Alvin Kamara, Jared Cook, return man Deonte Harris, and veteran free agent pickup Emmanuel Sanders, this is a hit the Saints can absorb while Thomas recovers.

That’s hardly good news for many fantasy football team owners out there, who invested high draft picks in Thomas. But injuries are part of this sport, and the Saints have done what they can to account for it. Hopefully you’ve done the same for your fantasy team.

Still, keep an eye out for the Saints injury report later this week to see how often Thomas is participating in practice. Because the Saints and Raiders play on Monday Night Football next week, Thomas will have an extra day of rest to recover before he takes the field.

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Receivers David Moore and Freddie Swain suffer minor injuries in camp

Seattle Seahawks wide receivers David Moore (ankle) and Freddie Swain (groin) suffered minor injuries in training camp this week.

The Seattle Seahawks have been fortunate throughout the first week of on-the-field practices during training camp. Relatively few players have suffered new injuries despite having only a virtual offseason this year.

Coach Pete Carroll did report that rookie wide receiver Freddie Swain has a groin issue and veteran David Moore hurt his ankle.

“D-Mo just turned his ankle a little bit,” Carroll said via Zoom ahead of Monday’s practice. “We’ll see if he can go today, it was just a couple days ago. It’s not serious at all. It may take another day or so.”

Moore did not practice on Sunday but was able to return to the field Monday afternoon after all.

As for Swain, he likely won’t be able to participate over the next few days.

“Freddie just got little bit of a groin thing that just kind of nicked him, so we’ve got to make sure that we don’t let that get worse, so he’ll be quiet for a couple days now,” Carroll explained. “And Freddie’s had a really good start so far, so we have seen him already, and he’s made a good first impression.”

The Seahawks resume practice Tuesday afternoon.

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T.J. Hockenson is ‘running routes’ but not ‘100% yet’

Detroit Lions offensive coordinator Darrell Bevell updated the media on tight end T.J. Hockenson’s health and noted he is “running routes” but not “100% yet”.

It was an up and down rookie season for Detroit Lions 2019 1st round draft pick T.J. Hockenson, and while it started with a record-setting bang in week one, it ended with a gruesome ankle injury on Thanksgiving day.

Hockenson left Ford Field that day on crutches and was seen later on in the season relying on a scooter to get around, but over the last seven months, there have been no updates on his recovery until today when offensive coordinator Darrell Bevell virtually met with the media.

“As far as I know right now,” Bevell said, “he’s in his running part of the protocol. He’s on land, he’s running, he’s running routes, doing that thing. You can’t say he’s 100% yet, but I think he’s well on the way to getting there. He’s done a great job with his rehab, he’s always been a good worker that way. I know he’s going to get some time with Matthew (Stafford), throwing and catching. So yeah, I’m comfortable with where he’s at along the rehab part.”

Bevell would go on to say that Hockenson was “emerging as one of the leaders” on the team. Noting that he has the confidence to lead, a willingness to speak up, a desire “to be really good at his position”, and puts in the time to make it all possible.

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While Hockenson is developing into a potentially strong offensive option for the Lions, Bevell acknowledged that there is still work to be done and he needs to find ways “to get him (Hockenson) opportunities to get the ball”.

There are a lot of mouths to feed in Detroit as the Lions are returning their top-4 wide receivers, are converting Jamal Agnew to offense, added D’Andre Swift to a backfield that already featured Kerryon Johnson and Bo Scarbrough, but the Lions didn’t use a Top-10 draft pick on Hockenson for his blocking — he’s going to get the ball.

Report: Texans CB Gareon Conley has screw removed from ankle

Houston Texans cornerback Gareon Conley had a screw removed from his right ankle, according to the Houston Chronicle’s Aaron Wilson.

Houston Texans cornerback Gareon Conley has had a screw removed as part of a minor offseason procedure.

According to Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle, the former Oakland Raiders defensive back had a screw removed from his right ankle. Conley is expected to make a full recovery and be ready for the Texans’ offseason workout program, which starts in April.

The former 2017 first-round pick from Ohio State was acquired by the Texans as part of a trade with the Raiders that was coincidentally ahead of the two sides’ Week 8 matchup at NRG Stadium. The Texans were desperate for cornerback help as starters Johnathan Joseph and Bradley Roby were battling hamstring injuries and rookie Lonnie Johnson sustained a concussion the week prior in a 30-23 loss at the Indianapolis Colts.

Conley produced 27 tackles and 11 pass breakups in eight games with Houston, six of which he started. In the playoffs, Conley played 149 snaps for the Texans, representing their entire defensive plays for the postseason. The 6-0, 190-pound corner collected 11 tackles, 1.0 sack, one tackle for loss, and three pass breakups.

Report: Texans offensive lineman Greg Mancz has ankle surgery

Houston Texans offensive lineman Greg Mancz had ankle surgery, according to the Houston Chronicle’s Aaron Wilson.

Houston Texans offensive lineman Greg Mancz underwent a procedure to help his ankle and get ready for his final season under contract.

According to Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle, the 27-year-old had arthroscopic ankle surgery and is expected to make a full recovery in time for the Texans’ offseason workout program, which gets kicked off in April.

Mancz played nine games for the Texans, starting in one of them, Week 4’s 16-10 loss to the Carolina Panthers at NRG Stadium.

The former undrafted Toledo Rocket from 2015 has been a steady and reliable interior offensive lineman for the Texans, filling in at guard and center when needed. In his five seasons with the Texans, Mancz has been active for 54 games, starting in 28 of them, the bulk of which came in 2016 when he started every game at center for Houston.

Mancz is entering the final year of his contract and is due $2.1 million. The Texans could cut Mancz in the offseason and not suffer any dead money.

Seahawks Quandre Diggs, Bobby Wagner suffer ankle sprains in Carolina

Coach Pete Carroll provided a number of injury updates during his postgame press conference and confirmed both Diggs and Wagner suffered ankle sprains.

The Seattle Seahawks took the field Week 15 in Carolina down four defensive starters, as defensive ends Ziggy Ansah and Jadeveon Clowney, linebacker Mychal Kendricks and cornerback Shaquill Griffin were all inactive due to injuries.

Despite the win, things got even worse for Seattle in the health department as the game progressed with three more defenders sustaining injuries throughout the matchup. Safety Quandre Diggs was the first to leave with an ankle injury, linebacker Bobby Wagner was next – also with a sore ankle – and finally, safety Lano Hill appeared to get banged up in the fourth quarter.

Coach Pete Carroll provided a number of injury updates during his postgame press conference and confirmed both Diggs and Wagner suffered ankle sprains.

“He sprained his ankle a little,” Carroll said of Wagner. “We don’t know how bad it was – he was pretty good getting off the field today.” Carroll did say Wagner was not cleared to return to the game.

As for Diggs, it appears his injury could possibly linger a bit longer.

“Quandre sprained his ankle also and he looks a little more serious than Bobby did,” Carroll explained. “That would be a big loss if we can’t get him to get back next week. He’s been playing great football for us.”

Carroll should have further updates on both injured players Monday afternoon after both are checked out more thoroughly by the Seahawks’ medical staff.

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Sheldon Rankins has options, but likely to end 2019 with ankle injury

The New Orleans Saints are still holding out hope but defensive tackle Sheldon Rankins is likely to end the 2019 season with an ankle injury

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Bad news comes in pairs for the New Orleans Saints these days. Just hours after starting defensive end Marcus Davenport’s season was reported to be over with a foot injury, reports flooded in saying that defensive tackle Sheldon Rankins is likely to close out the year with an ankle issue. While Rankins is considering every possible, options, there doesn’t appear to be a path for him to return to play this year. Both defensive linemen were injured in Sunday’s loss to the San Francisco 49ers.

The first report of Rankins’ murky status came from John Hendrix of Sports Illustrated; NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport confirmed it to be a significant injury. The easy excuse to point to in this latest lower-leg injury for Rankins would be his quick return from last year’s ruptured Achilles, but Nola.com’s Luke Johnson clarified that Rankins injured his right ankle, while that Achilles injury occurred in his left leg. They aren’t related problems.

These are a series of blows to New Orleans’ deepest position, which is the only silver lining to the situation. The Saints have run so deep along the defensive line that Taylor Stallworth, a player who logged 365 snaps a year ago including the playoffs, was demoted to the practice squad. He’s likely to get called up should Rankins go on injured reserve, as is expected.

Still, there’s no other way to spin this: it’s a big setback for Rankins, who has battled hard to help his team and stay on the field after injuries limited his first few years in the NFL. His rookie season was abbreviated after he broke his leg in training camp, and the Achilles tear obviously ended his 2018 campaign. Now, he’ll be finishing 2019 with more time in the trainers’ room. It has to be frustrating for him, but he’s proven he can bounce back before. It’s not for nothing that his teammates chose him for the 2019 Ed Block Courage Award. Here’s to a speedy recovery.

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