Tag: hamstring

Steelers’ rookie WR in danger of missing Week 7 contest

Roman Wilson is back on the injury report with an injured hamstring. The elevation of WRs lead many to believe Wilson will miss Week 7.

The rollercoaster of emotions, that is Roman Wilson’s health, is a neverending ride fans of the young player wish would stop.  After making his regular season debut in Week 6, fans were eager to see how Wilson would be involved in the gameplan moving forward.

Wilson was used sparingly in the team’s Week 6 victory over the Las Vegas Raiders, catching zero balls, on zero targets, with only five snaps played.  It almost seemed as if OC Arthur Smith and HC Mike Tomlin played the rookie WR to avoid hearing his name any further in future media availabilities.

However, the third-round receiver out of Michigan suffered another injury setback in this practice this week.  While deemed questionable to play, the elevation of WR Brandon Johnson paints a picture in which Wilson will be downgraded to OUT.

The Russell to Roman Wilson debut is trending in the wrong direction, and it seems fans may have to wait additional time before they can see this duo tear up opposing secondaries together.

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Injured reserve is a possibility for New Orleans Saints starting safety

Injured reserve is a possibility for Saints starting safety Will Harris. He was the team’s only defender to play 100% of snaps through the first four games:

The New Orleans Saints defense took a hit when starting safety Will Harris went down with a hamstring injury in Monday night’s game with the Kansas City Chiefs, and he missed the next two days of practice recovering from that ailment.

But he isn’t trending in the right direction. On Wednesday, head coach Dennis Allen said that Harris is a candidate for injured reserve because of this hamstring injury. Assuming it isn’t an automatic season-ending diagnosis, he would be eligible to return after four weeks — missing upcoming games with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Denver Broncos, Los Angeles Chargers, and Carolina Panthers. That’s assuming he won’t need surgery and be out longer.

Either way, it was a big loss. Harris was the only player on the team who had been on the field for 100% of the Saints’ snaps on defense through their first four games. That’s more than Demario Davis, Tyrann Mathieu, and other big names like Chase Young, Marshon Lattimore, and Cameron Jordan. They were lucky to have already called up Johnathan Abram from the practice squad so he could fill in.

In the meantime, the Saints are left with Mathieu, Jordan Howden and J.T. Gray on the 53-man roster with Abram and Millard Bradford on the practice squad. Abram can be elevated for two more games before he’ll need to sign with the 53-man roster to keep playing, but they may just sign him now to ensure he’ll be in the lineup. Stay tuned.

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Injury report: Nick Herbig exits Week 5 game early with injury

During the Steelers’ Week 5 contest against the Dallas Cowboys, EDGE Nick Herbig exited the contest with an injury, shattering fans’ hearts.

Hearts were crushed in Pittsburgh’s Week 5 contest, as yet another injury was added to the Steelers growing list of banged-up players.  The Steelers’ defense had little time to celebrate T.J. Watt’s 100th career sack, as all eyes would soon be on Nick Herbig heading into the dreaded blue medical tent.

During the third quarter, Herbig could be seen hobbling and limping on the sideline while the Steelers’ medical team began to get him checked out.

With baited breath, Steelers fans were hopeful he would exit the tent and sprint back onto the field—they were instead forced to watch the promising second-year edge rusher walk into the locker room, barely putting any weight on his injured leg. Furthermore, it was then reported that Herbig was questionable to return with a hamstring injury.

All eyes will be on the situation, as Pittsburgh fans will hope the injury is short term because Alex Highsmith, the teams starting edge rusher opposite T.J. Watt, is likely out until Week 7 with a groin injury.

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Saints haven’t made a decision on activating Kendre Miller just yet

Dennis Allen says the Saints haven’t made a decision on activating Kendre Miller just yet, but the second-year running back has ‘made significant progress’

Dennis Allen says the New Orleans Saints haven’t made a decision on activating Kendre Miller from injured reserve just yet. The second-year running back has been sidelined since July 24 with a hamstring injury that cost him all of training camp, three preseason games, and at least the first four regular season matchups. He hasn’t practiced in 70 days.

And it sounds like he’s going to wait a little longer. It had been previously reported that the Saints expected Miller back after Week 4’s game with the Atlanta Falcons, but Allen tempered those expectations. Miller is eligible to return from injured reserve, but he may not be ready just yet.

“He’s made significant progress. I think that’s something that we’re considering,” Allen told WWL Radio this week. “We haven’t made a final decision on that.”

Players sometimes play as soon as they return to practice, but generally they take some time knocking off the rust. NFL rules give them a 21-day window in which to practice and prove they’re ready to go. So even if the Saints designate Miller to return on Thursday, there’s no guarantee he’ll play against the Kansas City Chiefs next Monday.

“I think that three-week window for him is going to be an important timeframe,” Allen added.

That’s disappointing. Hamstring injuries don’t normally take this long to recover from, but everyone is different, and so is every injury. Maybe Miller is dealing with something else. Maybe Allen is trying to motivate him. We’ll watch for updates.

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Chris Olave ‘day to day’ with hamstring injury, could be game-time decision

Chris Olave is ‘day to day’ with a hamstring injury, and he could be a game-time decision against the Falcons on Sunday:

All eyes will be on Chris Olave when the New Orleans Saints hit the  field  for pregame warmups at Mercedes-Bensz Stadium on Sunday. The star wide receiver is questionable for Week 4’s game with the Atlanta Falcons due to a hamstring injury he suffered during Friday’s practice session, but NewOrleans.Football’s Nick Underhill reports Olave will travel with the team and test his injured leg to see if he’s able to play. ESPN’s Adam Schefter has said Olave is managing this injury on a “day to day” basis, which is also encouraging.

But the decision to play may not be up to him. Saints head coach Dennis Allen has shut down players like Marshon Lattimore and Demario Davis when they’ve wanted to play through injury this season. But if Olave responds well to rest and treatment and the team is confident he can play to his usual standards, he’ll be out there.

The Saints could certainly use his help. They’ve been hit hard with injuries at wide receiver — backups like Cedrick Wilson Jr. and A.T. Perry are both dealing with ailments this week, so someone like Equanimeous St. Brown or Kelvin Austin Jr. will probably get called up from the practice squad to at least fill out their numbers. Bub Means was a healthy scratch last week, but he along with Rashid Shaheed and Mason Tipton are the only other options on the roster if Olave can’t go.

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Marshon Lattimore dealing with new hamstring injury after exiting Panthers game

Marshon Lattimore injured his hamstring in Sunday’s win over the Panthers, putting his status against CeeDee Lamb and the Cowboys in doubt:

New Orleans Saints cornerback Marshon Lattimore injured his hamstring in Sunday’s win over the Carolina Panthers, putting his status against CeeDee Lamb and the Cowboys in doubt. The good news is that NewOrleans.Football’s Nick Underhill reports it’s only a minor injury, which lines up with Lattimore’s postgame comments to reporters in the Saints locker room.

“I’m good,” Lattimore had said. “I’m solid.”

We’ll just have to wait and see whether it sidelines him during Week 2. Lattimore pulled up lame and gripping the back of his left leg late against Carolina, but he was evaluated in the blue medical tent on the Saints sideline and stood to watch the rest of the game with his teammates. That suggests it wasn’t a serious injury requiring extensive attention, but we’ll watch for updates on this week’s injury report.

But this was the concern when Lattimore missed so much time during training camp with a hip flexor injury. Soft-tissue ailments like hamstring injuries are most common at the start of training camp when players haven’t been working out as arduously, and he more or less rewound the clock after sitting out most of camp. Hopefully he can return soon.

Lamb did well for himself in the Cowboys’ rout of the Cleveland Browns, totaling 61 receiving yards and another 25 rushing yards on the afternoon. He led the league in receptions (135) last season and signed a hefty four-year, $136 million contract extension with Dallas this summer. If Lattimore can’t play, expect Kool-Aid McKinstry to start in his place and for Paulson Adebo to draw the toughest coverage assignments in the Saints secondary. Alontae Taylor remains the preference in the slot. Rico Payton is also on the 53-man roster and he could see some snaps.

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Saints will take advantage of new injured reserve rules with Kendre Miller

The Saints will take advantage of new injured reserve rules with Kendre Miller. He can return as soon as Week 5’s prime-time game with the Chiefs:

It’s disappointing to see Kendre Miller opening his second season with the New Orleans Saints on injured reserve, but it does mean the team can take advantage of new rules changes to navigate this situation.

First off, Miller can return as soon as Week 5’s prime-time game with the  Kansas City Chiefs, and he won’t count against the 53-man roster limit during that time. In past years teams had to keep injured players on their roster for a full day before putting them on injured reserve while planning to later activate them. Now, teams are allowed to put two injured players on I.R. right out of the gate.

Secondly, the Saints can activate up to eight players from injured reserve during the regular season, and two more can be brought back if they reach the playoffs. Additionally, players can be activated twice from I.R. if they suffer a setback. So there are plenty of options here for Miller. It’s not like the team is shutting him down for the season.

That doesn’t mean this isn’t frustrating for everyone involved. The coaches want to see Miller out there, and he probably wants to back up all that talking he did last summer about replacing Alvin Kamara. Players want to play. We’ll just have to monitor Miller’s progress. It’s unusual that a hamstring injury has kept him out this long without requiring surgery, but these things can be difficult. At this point all he can do is keep his head down and work on his rehab until he’s able to help the team.

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Dennis Allen’s patience with Kendre Miller wearing thin

Dennis Allen again emphasized the impact of Kendre Miller’s hamstring injury. He feels the Saints haven’t learned much about Miller since drafting him:

Kendre Miller sustained a hamstring injury on the first day of New Orleans Saints training camp, and he hasn’t returned to the practice field since the team returned to their Metairie practice facility after a month in Irvine. As more time has passed, Miller’s slow recovery has begun to feel like a breaking point for head coach Dennis Allen.

Throughout training camp, Allen has been measured when speaking about injuries after practice or games. He has avoided big statements and chosen to vocalize that he doesn’t have the full picture on injuries that happened just hours prior.

This didn’t apply to Miller. In the presser immediately following the injury, Allen said, “That’s a player that’s going to have to figure out how to stay healthy. Because it’s hard to make the team when you’re in the training room all the time.”

Calling Miller’s job security into question is significant, seeing as the Saints had a big vision for him coming out of college just a year ago. Allen said that college tape isn’t enough to evaluate from after Wednesday’s practice. He once again made reference to Miller’s lack of NFL experience and how it makes it “hard to make that evaluation” when determining how many running backs to roster.

“I know he’s talented,” Allen said. “But I don’t know if he can learn the system. I don’t know if can pick up the system because I haven’t seen him out there.”

These are fair points, and it appears the frustrations are building. Hamstring injuries can lead to lengthy recoveries but we’re approaching the point where it’s worth asking if Miller should have had surgery back in July. At this stage it feels like the Saints are likeliest to put put Miller on injured reserve at the start of the season and reevaluate him after four games. But if Allen had the authority to do so, you get the sense he might be willing to just move on altogether.

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Kendre Miller injured during Saints’ first training practice

Kendre Miller suffered a hamstring injury at Wednesday’s first training camp practice. The New Orleans Saints running back continues to face setbacks:

The New Orleans Saints always deal with injuries pretty early into the process, and this offseason seems to be no different with injuries to Chase Young and Juwan Johnson during the offseason process or earlier. This trend seems to have continued as well, with second-year running back Kendre Miller suffering a hamstring injury during Wednesday’s training camp practice. According to Katherine Terrell of ESPN, he went into the training tent and did not return once that occurred.

Miller dealt with leg issues all of last season as a rookie. He missed time with a patella sprain, grade one hamstring sprain, and pedal ankle sprain at different points throughout the season. This led to him only playing in eight games during his rookie year, with only 41 rush attempts and 11 times targeted. He was still recovering from a knee injury when the Saints drafted him out of TCU.

Dennis Allen’s take on Miller’s hamstring injury was pointed after practice: “Look, that’s a player that’s going to have to figure out how to stay healthy. Because it’s hard to make the team when you’re in the training room all the time.”

It has been a tough road for Miller to this point in his career, no doubt, and hopefully things turn around and this is not a lingering injury for the short term future. As of right now, the Saints depth chart at running back seems relatively short with this news:

  • Alvin Kamara
  • Kendre Miller (hamstring injury)
  • Jamaal Williams
  • Jordan Mims
  • James Robinson
  • Jacob Kibodi

There are a few options available in free agency as training camp bodies as well if that ends up being a need. Lynn Bowden Jr. and Eno Benjamin are both available and were on the roster last summer, as is Kareem Hunt who was a reported target for the Saints last year. We will see how this plays out, hopefully it is just a minor injury and Miller gets back out there quickly without issue. He can’t afford to miss much time.

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Packers WR Christian Watson to search for answers to hamstring problem this offseason

Christian Watson knows he must figure out the “root” of his hamstring problems and improve his availability for the Packers in 2024.

Every player goes into an offseason wanting to get better, but for Green Bay Packers receiver Christian Watson, the path to improving is centered on figuring out how to avoid soft-tissue injuries — especially in his hamstring — and stay on the field in 2024.

Watson missed three games to start the season with a hamstring injury suffered before Week 1 and then five more games to end the regular season after re-injuring the same hamstring on a play against the Kansas City Chiefs on Dec. 3. As a rookie, a hamstring injury plagued him for over a month and caused him to miss three games.

“I gotta find out what the root of it is. That’s the start and then I’ll be able to formulate a plan around that,” Watson said during Monday’s final locker room availability. “But if I can find out what kind of things can possibly be leading to it, make sure I’m doing the right things in the offseason, doing the right things during OTAs, into training camp, just find ways to make sure I’m doing everything I can to be conscious of it. That’s my number one plan.”

Coach Matt LaFleur said Watson has been working with head athletic trainer Bryan “Flea” Engel to create a plan and execute it this offseason. The goal is for Watson to remain explosive but be more available for the Packers in 2024 and beyond.

“We have a plan, we have a plan in place,” LaFleur said Monday. “I know Flea has been diligent working on that, in terms of going to different places to do all the scans and whatever we need to do. Certainly, Christian is going to be a big part of that process. That’s something we need to figure out. He is an impact player. You see his value when he’s going at full strength, his ability to make plays, explosive plays. We’re better when he’s on the grass.”

Watson scored nine total touchdowns and was a dominant player down the stretch as a rookie. He found the end zone five more times across nine games in 2023, including a three-game stretch before his second injury in which he scored four times.

Getting over the hamstring injuries could allow Watson to become a consistently dominant player for the Packers in 2024. His size and speed help make him a force, both down the field and on manufactured touches. With a full season of availability, Watson could transform into a legitimate No. 1 receiver next season.

“It’s huge. I’m trying to stay in the right spot mentally,” Watson said. “I don’t want to let it consume my life, but everyone says your availability is your best ability, so I’ve got to find a way to stay out there. I think I’m my best when I’m able to find my rhythm, find my groove and continue to build on it. So being out, being back, being out, being back, I don’t think it’s right for anybody, but I definitely know it’s not right for me to play my best ball. I just gotta find a way to be out there and stay out there.”

Watson isn’t yet sure if it’s a strength or flexibility issue. As a lean, explosive, long-striding athlete, he’s hoping to discover the right ways to lessen the stress on the hamstring.

“I don’t necessarily know if it’s a strength thing anywhere. I could be flexibility. I know for a fact that my hamstrings are strong. I know I’m a strong guy, I’m a lean guy. I’ve just got to find ways to take pressure off one spot and let it all work together. That’s what I’m going to figure out.”

Quotes obtained by Packers Wire contributor Paul Bretl were used in this post.