Tag: groin injury

Pittsburgh is undefeated when one Steelers defender is healthy

One Steelers defender, when healthy, has made a significant impact on the team’s success, and his absence in Week 13 could be pivotal.

It’s no secret that the Pittsburgh Steelers have faced their share of injury woes in 2024, losing several key starters to season-ending injuries. However, one key defender’s absence has impacted the team’s odds of winning more than most. When OLB Alex Highsmith has been injured—missing five of the eleven games this season—the Pittsburgh Steelers have gone 2-3. In contrast, when Highsmith hasn’t been dealing with his previous groin injury or his current ankle issue, the Steel City has remained undefeated, boasting an impressive 6-0 record.

While backup OLB Nick Herbig has provided impressive pass-rush abilities while filling in for the injured edge rusher, could Highsmith’s strength against the run, combined with the need for opposing offenses to prepare for his presence, lead to a stronger Black and Gold team?

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It is concerning, to say the least, that Highsmith is unlikely to play in Week 13 against the Cincinnati Bengals after being listed as doubtful for the AFC North divisional matchup. However, the Pittsburgh Steelers have the opportunity to prove their ability to win games without Highsmith against their bitter rivals.

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Christian Darrisaw could miss Sunday’s game vs. Falcons

Not a great sign for the Vikings who start rookie Jaren Hall on Sunday

In a last-minute move, the Minnesota Vikings downgraded left tackle Christian Darrisaw to questionable against the Atlanta Falcons due to a groin injury

In a flurry of moves the Vikings announced on Saturday afternoon, they announced the Darrisaw injury. Throughout the week, Darrisaw wasn’t listed on the injury report and practice in full each day.

Not having Darrisaw could see a massive shift for the Vikings offense who will be starting backup quarterback Jaren Hall for the first time in his NFL career.

This could just be out of caution but it will be something to monitor even after kickoff.

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Cowboys’ Zack Martin ‘took every rep’ on Friday; Saturday to give clue on groin injury

From @ToddBrock24f7: Martin downplayed the injury that limited him this week; Saturday’s practice squad elevations could indicate whether he’ll play Sunday.

Cowboys right guard Zack Martin caused some concern when he showed up on the team’s injury report this week with a groin injury. The issue had the eight-time Pro Bowler listed as “limited” on both Thursday and Friday.

Martin’s own words and what he did in practice on Friday were cause for optimism among Cowboys Nation heading into Week 2’s home opener against the Jets, but officially, he’s considered questionable for Sunday’s game.

Saturday, however, will be very telling in regard to his actual gameday outlook.

In his regular Thursday appearance, the 32-year-old lineman told Dallas radio station 105.3 The Fan shortly after first appearing on the team’s injury report, “Oh, I’m doing good. It was just a little tight. They were taking care of me today.”

Martin’s nonchalant answer about the injury was perhaps bolstered by news that he “took every rep” in Friday’s practice (according to head coach Mike McCarthy), despite keeping the “limited” classification for a second straight day.

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The future Hall of Famer is expected to start, but as Michael Gehlken of the Dallas Morning News points out, Saturday’s practice squad elevations will provide a major clue.

If the club uses one of their two gameday elevations on Sean Harlow, Alex Taylor-Prioleau, or Earl Bostick Jr., it’s a sign that the Cowboys coaching staff acknowledges a “realistic chance” that Martin will need to sit.

If the elevations are used on other positions, the team likely feels good about Martin’s state of readiness.

Martin is slated to line up against Jets veteran defensive tackle Quinnen Williams, the No. 3 player chosen in 2019’s draft and a first-team All-Pro last year.

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Former Cowboys kicker Greg Zuerlein considered ’50-50′ for Jets in Week 2

From @ToddBrock24f7: After being released by Dallas prior to the ’22 season, Zuerlein was the Jets’ top scorer last year. He is questionable with a groin injury.

When the Jets take the field at AT&T Stadium on Sunday, they already know they’ll be without their Week 1 starter at quarterback. They now may also be without last year’s team points leader and a familiar face to many of the Cowboys player and coaches.

Kicker Greg Zuerlein suffered a groin injury during the team’s practice on Thursday, according to Jets head coach Robert Saleh. The former Cowboys specialist will not practice on Friday and is considered “50-50” to play in Week 2’s game.

The Jets will reportedly work out several kickers in case a late roster move is needed.

“It’s not serious,” Saleh said of the injury, “but serious enough to put Sunday in question.”

Zuerlein, now 35 and in his 12th NFL season, kicked for Dallas in 2020 and 2021. He was brought aboard when John Fassel took over the Cowboys special team coordinator role; the two had previously spent eight years together with the Rams.

Over his two seasons in Dallas, Zuerlein went 63-for-76 on field goal attempts, with nine of those misses coming from 50 yards or beyond. He was released in March of 2022 in a salary cap move.

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“Greg the Leg” soon signed with the Jets and went on to lead the team in scoring with 118 points. He connected on all three field goal attempts and his lone PAT try in New York’s overtime win versus Buffalo on Monday.

If Zuerlein is unable to go in the Cowboys’ home opener, it will leave the Jets with their backup quarterback trying to put the ball in the end zone against a Dallas defense that pitched a shutout in Week 1… and, if he cannot, relying on a brand-new kicker to put it through the uprights against a field goal unit that blocked one and returned it for a score to start their regular season.

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Already facing suspension, Cowboys RB Ronald Jones to ‘miss some time’ with groin injury

From @ToddBrock24f7: Jones exited Saturday’s practice early and did not participate Monday; Mike McCarthy wouldn’t speculate on his availability moving forward.

Cementing a spot on the Cowboys’ 53-man roster is proving to be quite a challenge for running back Ronald Jones.

First came the news of a two-game suspension to start the 2023 regular season. Then the just-turned-26-year-old embarking on his sixth NFL season was dealt another setback over the weekend, exiting Saturday’s Blue-White practice early with what has been classified as a groin injury.

Head coach Mike McCarthy told reporters on Monday that the former McKinney North star “is going to miss some time” and would not practice to start the week. The plan, according to McCarthy, is to “see how he moves around to get a better idea of exactly where’s he’s at” as camp progresses.

Jones had been hoping to make every practice rep count, needing to prove his worth early to a team that knows it will be without him for Weeks 1 and 2. Jones was suspended for violating the league’s performance-enhancing substance policy; the former USC Trojan says a doctor-issued prescription for a “heart stimulant” led to a positive test and maintained he was not “cheating the game” with steroid use.

League rules allowed Jones to continue practicing with the team and even play in the upcoming preseason as he looks to stand out within a talented but young running backs room that includes Malik Davis, Rico Dowdle, rookie draft pick Deuce Vaughn, and undrafted free agent Hunter Luepke behind starter Tony Pollard.

The Cowboys’ rushing attack is already undergoing a transformation in this first season without Ezekiel Elliott. Pollard has been electric with his touches over four pro seasons, enough to warrant the front office placing the franchise tag on him in order to keep him. But whether there will be any lingering after-effects of the high ankle sprain and fractured fibula he suffered in January’s playoff loss to the 49ers still remains to be seen.

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Jones was brought in to be a veteran presence within the position group, but now his availability through mid-September has changed twice inside of a week, and it can’t be guaranteed that he’ll even make the final roster.

While owner Jerry Jones has long teased the possibility of re-signing Elliott, McCarthy continues to make that option sound far-fetched. After the league announced its suspension of the onetime Buccaneer in his first year in Dallas, McCarthy said the overall plan at running back had not changed.

“We’re not just going to hit a bump and give up on the path,” he said per David Moore of the Dallas Morning News. “We want to see these young guys. We want to see them play in games.”

But for the time being, he won’t even see Ronald Jones on the practice field.

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‘I just did what I could’: Cowboys’ Micah Parsons dominates despite groin injury

A first-quarter strain left him barely able to walk, but Parsons owned the second half for the Dallas defense: 2 sacks and a forced fumble. | From @ToddBrock24f7

For the second week in a row, Cowboys fans held their breath as they watched the most dominant player on the team (and maybe the entire league) limp around very gingerly on the field between plays.

Last Sunday versus Washington, it appeared to be a lower back muscle that was troubling Micah Parsons. Afterward, he brushed off that tweak as no big deal. “It’s just football,” he told reporters.

In Week 5 against the defending Super Bowl champion Rams, the situation was far more concerning. Parsons was noticeably hobbling, holding his inner thigh, even riding a stationary bike on the Cowboys sideline at times he should have been in the huddle.

But the second-year phenom said following the team’s impressive 22-10 win that succumbing to the groin strain and calling it quits for the day never really entered his mind.

“No. Not at all.”

In fact, Parsons did more damage to the Los Angeles game plan after the first-quarter injury. A critical quarterback pressure to disrupt a third-down try, two sacks of Matthew Stafford, and a forced fumble that thwarted the Rams’ last-gasp comeback effort all came in the second half, well after he suffered the injury and even sat out a few plays trying to do whatever he could to work out the kinks.

“Just tape my leg up, make sure I just kept it in place, things like that,” Parsons explained. “There’s nothing I wouldn’t do to get out there on that field.”

He was limited, but even so, Parsons was still the best defender on the field.

“I told Coach, ‘I can’t do a whole lot of running, but I can rush,'” he told the Fox crew in his postgame interview. “I just did what I could.”

It turned out to be plenty on Sunday.

“The kid’s a beast, bro,” Cowboys defensive tackle Trysten Hill said of Parsons per the Dallas Morning News. “I don’t know what else to say. He does that off a bad groin. I mean, two sacks, a sack-fumble? You can’t draw it up any better than that, really.”

After the game, Parsons once again dismissed his injury, even though it left him barely able to walk in between snaps.

“When you think about the circumstances of the game, the team needed me. You just got to fight through some things,” he explained.

“As long as I’m out there, I know I can make something happen; good things can happen. I take a lot of pride in pushing through a lot.”

It was Parsons’s third game this season with multiple sacks. With six total, he leads the entire Dallas defense in the category and is in a three-way tie atop the league leaderboard heading into Monday night.

His groin will be of great interest this coming week, with the very mobile Jalen Hurts and the undefeated Eagles next on the Cowboys’ schedule.

But apparently Parsons will keep pushing. And as long as he does, good things will likely keep happening.

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Donovan Wilson misses Cowboys’ Wednesday with nagging groin issue

Safety Donovan Wilson dealt with a groin issue that kept him sidelined during training camp, and he aggravated it in Week 1 last Thursday. | From @StarConscience

Safety Donovan Wilson burst onto the scene last season with 71 tackles, two interceptions, three forced fumbles, and two fumble recoveries. During training camp, however, the Cowboy’s top strong safety dealt with a groin issue that forced him to miss some time, but he was ready for the season opener against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Every player comes out of each game with a few bumps and bruises, but unfortunately for Wilson, Week 1 saw a nagging issue flare up again. Wilson won’t practice on Wednesday after aggravating his groin according to head coach Mike McCarthy.

This isn’t unfamiliar territory for the former Texas A&M Aggie. He missed two games in 2020 with the same injury. Groin issues, much like hamstrings, can and probably will linger throughout an entire season even if a player doesn’t miss games.

If Wilson were to miss any time veteran safety Jayron Kearse, who tied for the team lead with 11 tackles in Week 1, would fill in. That’s the last resort the Cowboys want to take. Not that Kearse is a bad player, but when healthy Wilson is the guy you want getting the bulk of the snaps at strong safety.

This will be a situation to monitor throughout the week with the formidable passing attack of the Los Angeles Chargers on deck for the Cowboys defense this Sunday led by quarterback Justin Herbert.

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Seahawks place Neiko Thorpe on injured reserve, activate Phil Haynes

The Seattle Seahawks have placed cornerback Neiko Thorpe on the injured reserve and activated guard Phil Haynes to the 53-man roster.

The Seattle Seahawks announced a couple of roster moves Wednesday afternoon ahead of the team’s Week-11, Thursday-night matchup against the Arizona Cardinals at CenturyLink Field.

Seattle has placed cornerback Neiko Thorpe back on the injured reserve. Thorpe was just activated back to the 53-man roster last week after suffering from a groin injury since Week 3.

“Neiko, his groin didn’t make it,” coach Pete Carroll said after the loss to the Rams on Sunday. “All the time we spent trying to get him back, we thought we had him. He had a lot of time to get ready, but it acted up again.”

To fill the empty spot on the 53-man roster, the Seahawks have activated guard Phil Hayes from the injured reserve, where he began his season due to a hip injury.

“Phil has been playing guard for us and can play center as well,” Carroll said Wednesday afternoon. “So he’s kind of a utility guy as he works his way back in. He’s had a good return, we are really excited for him. He’s been out for quite a while – last year as well – so it’s good to get him back out and competing.”

The Seahawks and Cardinals are set to square off Thursday night at 5:20 p.m. PT.

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Seahawks safety Jamal Adams battling shoulder injury on short week

Seattle Seahawks safety Jamal Adams, who just returned from a groin injury, is now battling a sore shoulder ahead of Week 11 against Arizona.

The Seattle Seahawks gave up significant draft capital – including two first-round picks – to land starting star safety Jamal Adams ahead of the start of the 2020 season.

Adams, who is finally back on the field after a lingering groin injury kept him sidelined for weeks, suffered yet another blow Sunday against the Rams.

“I was in a lot of pain, I won’t sit here and lie to you,” Adams told reporters after the game. “You know, still in a lot of pain, but it is what it is. I signed up to play this game of football.”

The safety briefly left the matchup in the first quarter nursing his shoulder but was able to return. With the Seahawks on a short week ahead of the Thursday-night bout with the Cardinals, Adams will have to pull off a very quick recovery.

“It’s pretty hard, I will say,” Adams said of playing through the injury. “I was out there with one arm, pretty much the whole game. But, I’m a warrior man. Whatever it takes. It’s never about me, it’s about this team. I’m going to do whatever I can to get out there.

“As long as my legs are moving, I’m going to find a way.”

Seattle takes on Arizona Thursday night in primetime at CenturyLink Field.

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Seahawks safety Jamal Adams a full participant in Friday’s practice

After missing the last four games with a groin injury, Seahawks safety Jamal Adams was a full participant in Friday’s practice ahead of Week 9.

Seattle Seahawks safety Jamal Adams is likely to take the field this Sunday when the team squares off against the Buffalo Bills for their Week-9 matchup.

After missing the last four games due to a groin injury and a brief illness last week, Adams has returned to the practice field and got in his first, full session on Friday. He is no longer listed on the injury report.

“He reported coming off the rehab really fit and so he looked great this week,” coach Pete Carroll told reporters after the walkthrough. “He was flying. I don’t see any reason to restrict him at all.”

While Adams should see his first game in well over a month, that isn’t the case for a number of Seahawks this Sunday.

Seattle has already ruled out running backs Chris Carson (foot) and Carlos Hyde (hamstring), guard Mike Iupati (back), cornerback Shaquill Griffin (concussion/hamstring), safety Ugo Amadi (hamstring) and defensive end Benson Mayowa (ankle) against the Bills.

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