Tag: hamstring

Cowboys CB Awuzie to miss multiple weeks adding to NFL injury carnage

The NFL season is a war of attrition, and never has that been more true than the 2020 calendar year. Last week Tyron Smith suffered a neck stinger that threatens his availability for a second week in a row in the Dallas Cowboys’ upcoming game …

The NFL season is a war of attrition, and never has that been more true than the 2020 calendar year. Last week Tyron Smith suffered a neck stinger that threatens his availability for a second week in a row in the Dallas Cowboys’ upcoming game against Seattle. Following his loss, the rest of the league gave credence to every concern about the lack of a preseason leading to a higher rate of injury.

It was one of the most carnage filled weekends in recent history as stars near and far fell by the wayside, many for the entire season. In the grand scheme of things, it put Dallas’ issues in perspective as they are hopeful they will start getting their players back over the next month to mount up for a late-season push for the playoffs. But alas, Dallas didn’t escape the win over Atlanta without more injuries, as it’s been announced cornerback Chidobe Awuzie injured his hamstring.

He will be out for multiple weeks according to head coach Mike McCarthy.

The Cowboys entered the game already playing without starting corner Anthony Brown. Awuzie had regained his starting role with Brown’s absence, but now things are even more dire.

On the opposite side is promising rookie Trevon Diggs. Diggs is going through the growing pains expected as a rookie, but has shown the fire and desire to excel at a position that is all about confidence and technique.

Jourdan Lewis, who missed Week 1 with an ankle injury from training camp, returned to the field last week. Along with Daryl Worley, they remain as the prime defenders at the position.

The club signed defensive back Brandon Carr right before the season started and he played 17 defensive snaps against the Falcons. Carr, who played corner for Kansas City and his five-year career in Dallas, spent the last year and a half of his Baltimore tenure playing both corner and safety. Dallas signed him to play safety, which he did Sunday, but he may be asked to play some on the outside against Seattle now.

C.J. Goodwin is a corner by trade, but has only seen special teams snaps in 2020.

Behind them are Chris Westry, Saivion Smith and Rashard Robinson on the practice squad. Fourth-round pick Reggie Robinson is on the roster and was a corner at Tulsa, but defensive coordinator Mike Nolan has moved him to the safety position.

The secondary in general, still trying to find a consistent safety to play opposite Xavier Woods, will have their hands full Sunday against the Seahawks. Quarterback Russell Wilson has missed just 11 passes over the first two weeks of the season.

[vertical-gallery id=654657][lawrence-newsletter]

Report: Kenny Golladay is ‘really close’ to returning, and could be back in Week 3

NFL Network’s Tom Pelliserro is reporting that Detroit Lions WR Kenny Golladay is ‘really close’ to returning, and could be back in Week 3.

Detroit Lions Pro Bowl wide receiver Kenny Golladay injured his hamstring just over 10 days ago, and while he has yet to practice since, coach Matt Patricia believes he is close to returning to action.

This morning, NFL Network’s Tom Pelliserro reported that during a Saturday conversation with Patricia, the coach said Golladay was “really close” to returning, and could be back in Week 3 when the Lions travel to Arizona to face off with the Cardinals.

A return in Week 3 would explain why the team avoided placing him on injured reserve, as that would have kept him out through that game.

Returning Golladay would be a huge addition to the offense, especially over the next few games when the Lions will need to be able to score a lot of points. During his absence, the Lions have leaned on rookie wide receiver Quintez Cephus, and while the rookie has shown promise, the chemistry isn’t quite there with Matthew Stafford yet — only connecting on thee of their 10 attempts in Week 1.

[lawrence-related id=50536,50364,47021]

Report: Lions CB Desmond Trufant avoids ‘significant hamstring injury’, could play in Week 2

NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero is reporting that Detroit Lions corner Desmond Trufant avoided a “significant hamstring injury” and could play in Week 2.

NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero is reporting that Detroit Lions corner Desmond Trufant avoided a “significant hamstring injury” and could play in Week 2 against the Green Bay Packers.

This is a glimpse of good news for the Lions after they were forced to place fellow starting corner Justin Coleman on injured reserve earlier in the day with a significant hamstring injury.

If Trufant is able to play, he would join last week’s starter Amani Oruwariye and potentially third overall pick Jeff Okudah — who is also dealing with his own hamstring injury — in the starting lineup.  If either Trufant or Okudah was to miss the game, Darryl Roberts — who filled in very well last week — is capable of playing on the outside and in the slot, and has 26 career NFL starts to lean on.

We will find out more information tomorrow on Wednesday’s injury report, but don’t be surprised if the Lions play it safe with their injured corners and try and get them as healthy as possible before the weekend.

The Lions can use all the available corner help the team can muster as they’ll be in Green Bay and Aaron Rodgers is coming off a 364-passing-yards and four-touchdown performance against the Minnesota Vikings last week.

Chiefs DE Alex Okafor ruled out with hamstring injury

Okafor has a hamstring injury and won’t return for the Kansas City Chiefs.

The Kansas City Chiefs are seeing some early attrition along the defensive line.

First, second-year DT Khalen Saunders was ruled out with an elbow injury. Now, they’ve lost their second defensive lineman for the night with DE Alex Okafor being ruled out with a hamstring injury. Okafor spent a chunk of the 2019 NFL season on injured reserve with a torn pec. He returned healthy at the start of training camp. Later he missed a portion of training camp with a calf injury.

He won’t finish the game leaving the Chiefs with Frank Clark, Tanoh Kpassagnon and Mike Danna as the only health ends on the roster.

Okafor had 0.5 sacks, one tackle and two quarterback hits before exiting the game with injury. He was part of the rotation early on for Kansas City and seemed to be the player having the most success getting after Deshaun Watson besides Clark and DT Chris Jones.

They’ll miss his veteran presence on the outside for the remainder of the game. With some luck, this won’t be a serious injury, rather some early season soft tissue problems after no OTA’s or minicamp. If not, we could be seeing Taco Charlton’s debut with the Chiefs in Week 2.

[vertical-gallery id=76441]

Receivers Dorsett, Thompson and Ursua could return to practice Tuesday

Seattle Seahawks wide receivers Phillip Dorsett II, Cody Thompson and John Ursua could return to practice from injuries as soon as Tuesday.

The Seahawks have been down a few wide receivers over the last few days as the players battled some minor injuries. All three – Phillip Dorsett II, Cody Thompson and John Ursua – could all come back as soon as Tuesday following Seattle’s off day.

“Phillip, if everything goes right over this one-day break, he’s going to be back in a limited fashion,” coach Pete Carroll told reporters after the team’s mock game on Sunday.

Dorsett has been suffering from a sore foot but the injury does not appear to be a new issue, according to Carroll.

“Phil, we’re going to have to figure out how he handles it,” Carroll continued. “We know what his condition is and his situation with the sore foot, we’ve just got to manage him really well.”

Carroll said both Thompson and Ursua also have a chance to return on Tuesday but did not provide further specifics.

[lawrence-related id=66628]

Receivers John Ursua, Phillip Dorsett II sat out mock game with injuries

Two Seattle Seahawks wide receivers, John Ursua and Phillip Dorsett II, sat out Wednesday’s mock game with minor injuries.

The Seattle Seahawks were without a couple of wide receivers during Wednesday’s mock game, the second scrimmage of the summer at CenturyLink Field.

Wideouts John Ursua (hamstring) and Phillip Dorsett II (foot) are both battling minor injuries.

“Johnny just tweaked his hammy a little bit, it’s really slight, but enough to hold him out, not push it the very next day,” coach Pete Carroll said during his press conference.

Dorsett, on the other hand, has missed the last few practices and could be out for a couple more.

“Phillip’s got a sore foot that he’s had in and out for quite some time, and it just acted up,” Carroll explained. “So we have to rest him for a bit and see if we can get him back. He said he feels really good today after just a couple of days. It might be the kind of situation we’ve got to monitor and see what it takes to keep him feeling good, because he has had it for a while.”

Seattle has the day off on Thursday but resumes practice Friday at the VMAC.

[lawrence-related id=66564]

Jordan Whittington out for two weeks due to injury

After reportedly having a strong start to summer camp, Jordan Whittington will now be sidelined for two weeks thanks to an injury.

One of the candidates to break out this season is newly converted wide receiver Jordan Whittington. After reportedly having a strong start to summer camp, the former five-star recruit will now be sidelined for two weeks thanks to an injury.

Horns247 is reporting Whittington is dealing with a hamstring injury, the fourth Longhorn to have hamstring problems this summer. Keaontay Ingram, Al’Vonte Woodard, Tarik Black, and Travis West will also be out for a couple of more weeks.

“Because players didn’t go through spring football and didn’t have a normal offseason conditioning program, there have been some more soft-tissue injuries than usual for sure,” the team source said.

Thankfully for Texas, it seems as if Whittington will be okay. With some rest, the wide receiver will be back and ready for fall camp in August.

As a true freshman, Whittington played in the season opener against Louisiana Tech but suffered an injury that kept him out for the final 12 games. The now redshirt freshman is hoped to make an instant impact in Mike Yurcich’s offense in 2020.

With the season opener against USF still scheduled for Sept. 5, Whittington is still expected to line up in the slot against the Bulls.

[lawrence-auto-related count=3]

Report: Derrick Henry not expected to suit up vs. Saints

The New Orleans Saints will not have to face dangerous Tennessee Titans running back Derrick Henry, who is battling a hamstring injury.

The New Orleans Saints caught a big break ahead of Sunday’s game with the Tennessee Titans: star Titans running back Derrick Henry is not expected to suit up against New Orleans while dealing with a hamstring injury, per a report from ESPN’s Adam Schefter. Henry’s availability in practice was limited throughout the week; after Saturday’s walkthrough practice session, the Titans downgraded his game status to questionable. Now, it appears he won’t play at all.

It’s a huge blow for Tennessee, because Henry has essentially been their entire running attack for much of the 2019 season. He’s accounted for 271 of the Titans’ combined 380 rushing attempts, and 87.1% of their rushing attempts by running backs. Backup Dion Lewis (38 carries for 134 yards) and practice squad call-up Dalyn Dawkins (2 attempts for 2 yards) are the only other Titans running backs to have gotten on the field this season.

Henry’s absence will also be felt in the passing game. While he’s only recorded 18 catches on 24 targets this season, he ranks seventh on the team in receiving yards (206), at 11.4 yards per reception. His total 1,535 yards from scrimmage leads the team, and his 15 combined touchdown scores is more than double the next-best Titans skills position player (rookie wideout A.J. Brown, who has caught seven scoring passes).

Due to the results of Saturday’s games in the NFL triple-header (in which the Houston Texans won the AFC South by beating the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and the New England Patriots pushed the Buffalo Bills down to a wild card spot) today’s game has no impact on the Titans’ playoff standings. Tennessee needs the Pittsburgh Steelers to lose at least one of their next two games (either on Sunday against the New York Jets, or next week with the Baltimore Ravens) to get back into the playoff picture. The Titans do not control their own destiny anymore, and that could have factored into the decision to rest a player as important as Henry. If their season is functionally over, why risk serious injury for two essentially-meaningless regular season games?

[vertical-gallery id=25083]

Keith Kirkwood won’t be activated off of Saints injured reserve

The New Orleans Saints will not receive reinforcements at wide receiver with injured second-year pro Keith Kirkwood still on injured reserve

[jwplayer MZXmVA0r-ThvAeFxT]

The New Orleans Saints designated wide receiver Keith Kirkwood to return from injured reserve three weeks ago, but their window to activate him will close without Kirkwood being cleared to play. Nola.com’s Amie Just reported Wednesday that Kirkwood will not be able to suit up again in 2019 after a Week 2 hamstring injury ended his season, despite optimism from Saints coach Sean Payton that the second-year pro would be able to help his team down the stretch.

“He’s doing well,” Payton said in mid-November. “He’s been moving well and running well, so we’ll keep paying attention to that and keep working with him and getting him to where he’s able to play.”

Obviously Kirkwood suffered some sort of setback in his recovery, having first hurt himself in the season-opener against the Houston Texans. He was pulled from that game after coming up lame after a hit, and aggravated his injured hamstring during pregame warmups a week later. It’s disappointing that the Saints won’t be getting any assistance from him as they push towards the playoffs.

Kirkwood clearly has some ability when healthy. He appeared in nine games as a rookie including the playoffs, going 15-of-23 for 217 yards (an average of 14.5 yards per catch), converting 12 first downs and scoring three touchdowns. It’s a shame that injuries have limited his availability early in his career, as he also missed last year’s NFC championship game with a calf problem.

The good news is that next year’s draft class looks terrific at wide receiver, and Kirkwood will have ample time to heal up between now and next summer. Fingers should be crossed in hopes that Michael Thomas can continue balancing the Saints’ world on his shoulders.

[lawrence-related id=23835,23824]

[vertical-gallery id=23720]

Don’t count Seahawks tight end Luke Willson out against the Vikings

Tight end Luke Willson hasn’t suited up for the Seattle Seahawks in several weeks, but he could be available against the Vikings Week 13.

A hamstring injury has sidelined tight end Luke Willson for a number of weeks, but that might be coming to an end shortly. The Seattle Seahawks and coach Pete Carroll will welcome the tight end depth.

The entire time Willson has been out of the competition, coach Carroll’s message has continued to be the same . . . always some form of “never count Willson out from returning.”

That is a testament to the toughness of Willson, which is something he showed during the Week 9 win against the Buccaneers when he played hurt.

Approaching Week 13 against the Vikings, Willson is going to do everything he can to get back on the field.

“He’s going to try to prove that he can play this week, so we’ll see how that goes,” Carroll said Wednesday. “Trainers are trying to hold him back from going too far too soon. That’s how Luke does it. Luke has been remarkable over the years. I wouldn’t count him out.”

There it is again. Don’t count Willson out.

Willson isn’t a big part of the offense in terms of targets, but what he does provide is a consistent blocking presence from the position. And, as coach Carroll makes apparent, toughness.

If it were up to him, Willson would’ve already returned from injury. Since it’s not, each week is a guessing game. As it seems, the return just might be coming on Monday against the Vikings.

[lawrence-related id=51789]