Tag: calf injury

Cowboys: CB Trevon Diggs has calf muscle tear; will be gametime decision vs Atlanta

From @ToddBrock24f7: Diggs sat out practice this week with what he first thought was calf tightness. Jerry Jones isn’t ready to rule him out for Sunday’s game.

With a road trip to Atlanta on the schedule for this weekend, the Cowboys shouldn’t expect much in the way of Southern hospitality from Falcons quarterback Kirk Cousins.

His loaded offense currently ranks in the top 10 leaguewide in points scored, total yards, yards-per-play, first downs, and passing yards. With DeMarcus Lawrence, Micah Parsons, and DaRon Bland all set to sit out once again, this is not the week for the Dallas defense to have any more of its superstar players pop up on the questionable list.

But that’s exactly where top cornerback Trevon Diggs is, with word coming from the top of the organization about the new injury that kept him out of practice earlier in the week and jeopardizes his status for Week 9.

Diggs made news after the team’s loss to the 49ers by getting into a heated exchange with WFAA reporter Mike Leslie outside the visitors locker room. While the two did publicly make up, it put extra eyes on the two-time Pro Bowler this week. Those eyebrows were then raised when Diggs later appeared on the practice report as a non-participant Wednesday and Thursday with some sort of calf issue.

“What none of us knew when that was going on was that he had a tear in his calf, and [it] was going to maybe limit him,” Cowboys owner Jerry Jones said Friday on 105.3 The Fan.

Diggs had told the media that he believed he was dealing merely with tightness in the muscle, stemming from “one of the plays I got hit or something” in Santa Clara last Sunday night.

Jones wasn’t ready to say Diggs will join his other high-profile rehabbing teammates as an onlooker at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.

“I’m not so sure he’s out [for Sunday], but… that’s why he wasn’t at practice the other day.”

Cowboys head coach Mike McCarthy offered some optimism for Diggs’s status, calling him a gametime decision.

“There’s specific drills we’ll need him to do tomorrow,” the coach said Friday per ESPN’s Todd Archer, “but he was much better today than we could have anticipated. He’s doing everything he can to try to get ready for Sunday.”

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On the bright side for Dallas, it looks as if rookie cornerback Caelen Carson will return to action. He practiced in full all week and carries no official designation for the Atlanta tilt after a shoulder injury that kept him shelved for four games.

Amani Oruwariye was moved to IR earlier in the week with a back injury, leaving nickel starter Jourdan Lewis, special-teams ace C.J. Goodwin, the much-maligned Andrew Booth, and practice-squadder Josh Butler as the only other cornerbacks in the building.

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Russell Wilson looks healthy enough, but what’s the real story?

Is Russell Wilson’s calf injury as bad as Pittsburgh is making it out to be? Or, is this dramatized and only the tip of proverbial iceberg?

‘To Russ, or not to Russ, that is the question’ (Shakespeare, maybe?)

What on earth is going on with Russell Wilson’s calf injury? It appeared that Wilson was simply being held out of the Steelers’ regular-season debut for precautionary reasons, but missed the next three Weeks straight. Even though Justin Fields looked deflated through the first two weeks of the season, Wilson continued to nurse his injury while the latter earned the team’s trust with consecutive elite performances in Weeks 3 and 4.

Russell Wilson isn’t the only player with an “injury” designation that has fans scratching their heads, as many also ponder why WR Roman Wilson hasn’t played either:

Could this be some sort of PR stunt for the Steelers QB, in which the team provides Wilson with an alternative option to avoid facing the humiliation of losing the quarterback battle to Fields?

We may never find out exactly what is happening with the pair of injured Wilsons in Pittsburgh, but Mike Tomlin sure loves to keep his cards close to the vest.

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Russell Wilson should be given a chance to earn his spot back, right?

A calf injury shouldn’t be the reason a former Super Bowl winning QB loses his starting job, right? Tell that to Mike Tomlin.

The quarterback competition seems all but dead at this point, and the culprit for the battle’s end is none other than a… calf injury?

Yes, you read that correctly. Although Mike Tomlin has been adamant in seasons past about starting players not losing their spots due to injury, it seems almost as if that is exactly what happened.

Justin Fields may have overtaken the job at some point during the 2024 campaign, but Russell Wilson‘s only attempt to compete was in a preseason game against the Buffalo Bills, in which the offensive line let him get absolutely crushed.

If that is why Tomlin is hesitant to name a starter moving forward, good on him for creating an equal playing field. But that also begs the question: how can anyone bench Justin Fields when his performance was MVP-esque through two consecutive weeks of football?

There’s a simple answer—you can’t. And now everyone can understand why Tomlin and the Steelers are between a rock and a hard place, or in this circumstance, a Russ and a Fields.

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Steelers drama all because of a blocking sled

There is no excuse for the Russell Wilson injury.

On Tuesday, Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin addressed the media and took a very long time to say very little about the status of quarterback Russell Wilson. Wilson missed the team’s first game of the season with a calf strain and the team is preparing for Week Two as if Justin Fields will start again.

It’s all because of a blocking sled. As part of an old-fashioned conditioning test the Steelers put players through at the start of training camp. That’s how Wilson injured his calf in the first place.

The Steelers were fortunate to get out of Atlanta with a win considering they didn’t score any touchdowns. The purpose of signing Wilson was to help a struggling offense score touchdowns. Now Pittsburgh may have to continue to work with Fields as the starter despite the plans to run with Wilson.

We hope this debacle leads to a change by the team so ridiculous injuries don’t happen again.

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Russell Wilson to be a gametime decision but he says he can play

Russell Wilson told the Steelers he can play on Sunday but it’s not his call.

According to ESPN NFL reporter Adam Schefter, Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Russell Wilson told his team he can play this Sunday against the Atlanta Falcons. But according to Schefter, the team plans to have him test his strained calf before the game and then make a decision on whether Wilson can go.

If Wilson can’t start, it will be Justin Fields getting the nod versus the Falcons. Wilson plans to do everything he can to be ready to play Sunday including lots of treatment on that injured ankle. The Steelers must be cautious with Wilson as this is only the first game of the season.

https://twitter.com/AdamSchefter/status/1832610030836679136

Head coach Mike Tomlin has already said he’s comfortable with Fields if he has to be the starter. Wilson and Fields are very different types of quarterbacks and would not only present unique challenges for the Falcons but would provide a very different look for the Steelers offense and the skill position players.

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Justin Fields IG posts lets Steelers fans know he’s ready to start

If Justin Fields gets the call, we expect him to play well.

The news came out on Thursday that Pittsburgh Steelers starting quarterback Russell Wilson was limited at Thursday practice with the same calf strain he has been dealing with throughout training camp and the preseason.

This could put Wilson’s status for Sunday’s game with the Atlanta Falcons in jeopardy. Friday is typically the day when you aren’t available to practice, you don’t play. Obviously, head coach Mike Tomlin has made exceptions and could do so for his starting quarterback but if he cannot go, backup Justin Fields looks like he’s to go.

Fields shared the Instagram post below of him in training camp and it definitely gives the feel that Fields is locked in and ready to start if Wilson cannot go.

https://www.instagram.com/p/C_eOvhcMhcK/?igsh=YXdiNnNiajlmajN0

Fields spent the bulk of training camp and the preseason as the starting quarterback while Wilson dealt with this calf injury. The team named Wilson the starter despite very few reps in the preseason.

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Bears G Teven Jenkins reportedly has calf strains in both legs

ESPN’s Adam Schefter is reporting Jenkins suffered injuries in both his legs last week.

The injury news surrounding Chicago Bears guard Teven Jenkins is getting more bizarre by the day. On Sunday evening, Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune reported Jenkins could be sidelined up to six weeks with a leg injury. Now it seems that injury is in both of his legs.

Appearing on ESPN’s NFL Live on Monday afternoon, Adam Schefter reported Jenkins has a calf strain in not one, but both of his legs. In a clip shared by Matt Clapp of Awful Announcing, Schefter indicates the injury (or injuries) occurred last week. “I’ve never heard of that before but that’s what was told to me,” Schefter said while giving his report.

Jenkins participated in joint practices with the Indianapolis Colts last week and spoke to the media following Thursday’s session. There was no indication that there was any injury going on with him. The third-year offensive lineman sat out of Saturday’s 24-17 preseason loss along with the rest of the starting offense.

Injuries are nothing new for Jenkins, unfortunately. After former general manager Ryan Pace traded up in the 2021 NFL Draft to select him in the second round as the team’s future left tackle, Jenkins missed 11 games his rookie year with a back injury. In 2022 after moving to right guard, he was in and out of the lineup with various ailments. He missed time late in the season after he suffered a scary neck injury. In total, Jenkins has played in 19 of a possible 34 games to start his career.

With Jenkins likely missing time, Ja’Tyre Carter or Alex Leatherwood would see increased reps in his absence. They could also opt to bring in a veteran free agent or see who becomes available on the waiver wire when rosters are trimmed in a couple weeks. Regardless, they will need to hone in on a backup plan to start the season.

Head coach Matt Eberflus is expected to meet the media on Tuesday and will likely have an update regarding Jenkins’ status.

Cowboys expect WR Michael Gallup to play vs Atlanta: ‘He’s going to do some awesome things’

Sidelined for seven games, the Cowboys’ WR is expected to provide a deep-ball threat against the Falcons and a boost for the offense. | From @ToddBrock24f7

If this were a comic-book movie, the group of superheroes have just gotten an unexpectedly thorough and embarrassing beatdown at the hands of a surprisingly robust bunch of bad guys. It happened right on the city streets with everyone watching, and now they’re limping and bloody in their tattered spandex suits, and they’re nursing their wounds amid the rubble as the stunned crowd looks on to see how they’ll rally for the next attack, due in very short order.

This would be the moment- as the audience starts to question the faith they had put into these suddenly-fallible figures, just when things look bleakest- that the camera pans. And there, emerging from the background as the music swells, is the hero that had been separated from the group earlier in the film. In fact, he’d almost been forgotten about. But now he’s back and ready for battle and represents a renewed sense of hope and optimism for the fight to come.

Only this hero doesn’t wear a cape. He wears No. 13.

Cowboys wide receiver Michael Gallup has missed the past seven games with a calf injury. But when executive vice president Stephen Jones said on Dallas radio Monday that the team would “get Michael Gallup back more than likely this week,” it buoyed a fanbase that was still stinging from a dismal showing from their offense, the kind that Cowboys Nation hoped had been left behind in the bizarro alternative-reality dimension known as 2020.

But the fans aren’t the only ones who have missed the fourth-year wideout from Colorado State. His offensive teammates are eager to have him back in the huddle as well.

“We’ll be really, really excited to get Michael,” offensive coordinator Kellen Moore said this week. “Obviously, huge aspirations for him as the season went on; he’s dealt with the injury as it went. We’re excited to have him back.”

Gallup’s injury in the season opener derailed what was to be a massive prove-it year for the 25-year-old. Set to become a free agent in 2022, Gallup had hoped to build off an 1,100-yard effort in 2019 and then a follow-up season in which he finished tied for the team lead in receiving touchdowns. A monster 2021 would translate to a lucrative new contract, either from Dallas or a new employer. But after just four catches in Week 1, Gallup was effectively shut down.

Finally cleared to practice again back on October 25, Gallup has been working with the Cowboys training staff to gradually get himself fully back to game speed. He was nearly ready for the Denver tilt, according to team owner Jerry Jones.

“Frankly, it was close,” Jones said Tuesday on 105.3 The Fan. “On hindsight you say, ‘Well, Michael does a great job of catching those long balls,’ which we really needed; some execution in our long passing game. And he does a great job. On hindsight, maybe you would have liked to see him out there, but that’s certainly hindsight. And that did not make the difference, the way we played. But it’s going to be good to have him back. We need him. He’s a really, really outstanding receiver.”

Head coach Mike McCarthy has confirmed that Gallup will practice in full on Wednesday. His return is tantalizingly close, hopefully coming Sunday.

“He’s going to do some awesome things for us; we’re excited,” Moore continued. “He’ll bring some juice, bring some energy. He’s going to go make some plays when he gets the opportunity and add to that room, make that room even more competitive, because we’ve got a lot of talent in that room that are excited. If they get an opportunity, they’re going to go take advantage of it.”

This week’s opponent, the Atlanta Falcons, will present a stiff challenge for Gallup and the Cowboys receiving corps. Their secondary is allowing just 10.5 yards per reception, tied for the sixth-best mark in the NFL. They’ve given up 300 fewer receiving yards than Dallas through eight games, and they’re the only defense in the league who has not allowed a pass play of over 40 yards all season.

Of course, the deep ball just happens to be Gallup’s superpower, with seven of his 13 career touchdowns coming from 20 yards or beyond. That quick-strike capability sure would have come in handy against Denver, when the Cowboys struggled so mightily to get anything on track and found themselves in a deep hole.

But perhaps the Atlanta native finally getting his comeback moment against his hometown Falcons is perfect storybook karma.

“I think it’s frustrating for everyone,” Moore said of how long it’s taken Gallup to mend from his stubborn injury. “Every player, you always want an opportunity to play. I think Michael’s just at that point now, obviously, where he’s getting closer and closer and ready to roll. He’s going to be real excited.”

In other words, get ready for a blockbuster second act from the superhero wearing No. 13.

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Cowboys QB Dak Prescott loses grandmother, also questionable with calf

Dak Prescott was close with the woman he called Mammy, who stepped in when his mother died. The news comes as he rehabs a calf injury. | From @ToddBrock24f7

Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott, already dealing with the uncertainty of a calf strain that may keep him out of Sunday night’s Week 8 matchup with the Minnesota Vikings, has now suffered another heartbreaking loss in his personal life.

The Cowboys signal-caller was officially listed as “questionable” for Sunday’s game in Minnesota, but that pales in comparison to the other news that has touched the entire Prescott family.

Prescott’s maternal grandmother, Margaret Ebarb, has passed away. The quarterback shared several photos and messages about her Friday on his Instagram page.

“I promise to Make you Proud!” read one, in part. “I’ll forever be Thankful 4 You,” read another.

Ebarb was instrumental in helping Dak and his siblings after their mother (and Ebarb’s daughter), Peggy, lost her battle with colon cancer in 2013.

Prescott made headlines during the 2016 season when, rather than take advantage of a late-night TV appearance and several marketing deals that were being offered to the rookie passer in his coming-out season, he went back home to Louisiana during the Cowboys’ bye week specifically to spend time with his grandmother, whom he called “Mammy.”

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Cowboys’ Dak Prescott leaves door open to sitting Sunday: ‘I don’t want this to linger’

Dak Prescott says if this Sunday’s game were a playoff tilt, there “would be no question” about his status. But it’s not. So there is. | From @ToddBrock24f7

Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott practiced again on Thursday, telling reporters that he pushed his strained calf even harder than the previous day, in an attempt to simulate the demands of a game as best he could.

And while he came out of the day’s work seemingly fine, he went on record as saying that a final decision on whether he plays Sunday night will likely not come until Saturday, the day the team is scheduled to depart for Minnesota.

Prescott told media members after the Thursday session that he believes the calf injury, which occurred on the final play of overtime in the Cowboys’ Week 6 overtime win in New England, is related to the ankle dislocation and compound fracture he sustained in the same leg last October.

While Prescott wore a protective boot for his postgame press conference in Foxborough, he dismissed the injury at the time, saying he could have played on had the game not ended when it did on a touchdown pass to wide receiver CeeDee Lamb.

On Thursday, he took a similar tack, stating that if Sunday’s game were a playoff matchup, his status “would be no question,” and he would “100 percent” be playing, as per ProFootballTalk’s Charean Williams.

Prescott got an MRI the day after the injury, and while the results were deemed “optimistic,” the injury appears to be causing more concern in Dallas than originally revealed. Prescott spent the bye week rehabbing in a pool and wasn’t a full participant in practice either Wednesday or Thursday.

“I’m doing everything I can to make sure I give myself the best chance,” he was quoted as saying by the team website.

Head coach Mike McCarthy has said that the team plans to prepare both Prescott and backup quarterback Cooper Rush as if each is going to play.

The team’s 5-1 record and healthy lead in the NFC East have caused many to suggest that Prescott should sit out the Week 8 game as a precaution, if only to further ensure that the calf is fully healed and that he won’t exacerbate the injury, possibly taking himself out for an even longer stretch of games as the Cowboys try to keep themselves in contention for a top seeding in the postseason.

McCarthy has allowed for the possibility by prepping Rush, and Cowboys players- while saying their leader looks good- have, to a man, expressed belief that the offense would be in good hands if Rush gets the call against the Vikings.

While Prescott no doubt wants to play and sounds as if he could play, he understands that it may ultimately be in the best interest of the season that he doesn’t play.

“It’s not fully my decision,” Prescott said Thursday, via Michael Gehlken of the Dallas Morning News, “because there is a bigger picture. It’s more than just one game… I don’t want this to linger past this week.”

That’s a far cry from owner Jerry Jones telling fans- as recently as Tuesday- that his starting quarterback’s calf strain was “not even in my thought process of things to worry about.”

It sounds like it’s not a worry, long-term, for anyone in the Dallas camp.

But it also sounds like they’re suddenly talking themselves into Plan B for the short-term.

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