Tag: Injury Update

Sam LaPorta ‘over the hump’ with his knee injury

Lions coach Dan Campbell believes TE Sam LaPorta is ‘over the hump’ with his knee injury

Tight end phenom Sam LaPorta was questionable for the Lions game against the Los Angeles Rams with a knee injury. Wearing a heavy brace, LaPorta not only played his regular role but scored a touchdown.

The scary-looking injury suffered in Week 18 isn’t exactly healed, but the Lions and head coach Dan Campbell don’t seem too concerned about LaPorta’s status for Sunday’s divisional round matchup against the Buccaneers in Ford Field.

In his weekly radio spot on 97.1 the Ticket in Detroit, Campbell indicated that LaPorta came out of the game without aggravating the knee injury.

“I feel like we’re over the hump with him,” Campbell said of the All-Pro rookie. “There will always be a little soreness in there, but I think we got away unscathed there. He’s going to be feeling even better this week.”

That’s sweet music to the ears of the Lions fans as they get ready for the next round of the playoffs.

Packers unsure if WR Christian Watson will be available vs. Cowboys

The Packers admitted they knew Christian Watson was unlikely to play Sunday, and they aren’t sure if he’ll be back for the playoff opener against the Cowboys.

Green Bay Packers coach Matt LaFleur admitted he knew Christian Watson likely wasn’t going to play on Sunday as early as Friday, and he’s currently unsure if the Packers will get back Watson for this Sunday’s playoff showdown with the Dallas Cowboys.

Watson, who has now missed five straight games with a hamstring injury, practiced in a limited capacity on Wednesday and Thursday and appeared trending toward playing on Sunday vs. the Chicago Bears, but the Packers held him out of practice Friday and made him inactive for the season finale.

“He just wasn’t ready to play. I know it’s been extremely frustrating for him. I had a pretty good indication that it was probably trending that way, a little gamesmanship on my part. Sorry to lie to everybody,” LaFleur said post-game Sunday.

When asked Friday, LaFleur said the Packers were resting Watson to give him the best chance to play, even though the team likely knew he probably wasn’t going to play after two days of limited practice.

In terms of Sunday, LaFleur left the door open to Watson returning against the Cowboys but said it’s going to come down to how the player feels over the course of the week.

“It’s one of those things, I know it’s really frustrating. We’ll see where he’s at this week. I definitely wouldn’t rule him out, but I really don’t know. A lot of it comes down to the ‘feel’ of it for him. That’s certainly something we’re going to have to tackle this offseason.”

Watson injured his hamstring during the Packers’ win over the Kansas City Chiefs on Dec. 3. It marked the second hamstring injury for Watson this season, and he ended up missing eight total games due to hamstring issues (three to start the season, five to end the season) in 2023.

Without Watson on Sunday, Packers quarterback Jordan Love completed 27 of 32 passes for 316 yards and two touchdown passes. He connected 15 times on 18 attempts to Jayden Reed, Bo Melton and Dontayvion Wicks, creating 235 passing yards and both scores.

As a rookie in 2022, Watson caught three touchdown passes and ignited an incredible stretch of production during the Packers’ overtime win over the Cowboys at Lambeau Field.

Watson finished the 2023 regular season catching 28 passes for 422 yards and five touchdowns. He had touchdown catches in three straight games against the Los Angeles Chargers, Detroit Lions and Kansas City Chiefs before going down with an injury.

The Packers play the Cowboys at 3:30 p.m. CT on Sunday. Like a typical week, the team will provide the first injury report of the wildcard round on Wednesday, with a final injury report arriving Friday.

Chargers OL Jamaree Salyer questionable to return vs. Chiefs

Jamaree Salyer exited the game with an eye injury.

Even Week 18 has not provided a safe harbor for the Chargers.

Starting guard Jamaree Salyer exited the game late in the first quarter with what the team called an eye injury. It’s unclear when the injury occurred, but such a designation suggests that Salyer was likely poked in the eye during a blocking assignment.

Salyer has started every game for the Chargers this season at right guard. He was replaced by Austen Pleasants, who was elevated from the practice squad for the game.

Washington running back Dillon Johnson expected to play

Dillon Johnson, who had to be helped off the field on the final play against Texas, is expected to play against Michigan.

Washington running back Dillon Johnson, who suffered an uncomfortable injury on the final offensive play against Texas in the semifinals and needed to be helped off the field by trainers, is expected to play in Monday’s national championship game, head coach Kalen DeBoer announced on Saturday.

The Huskies running back has dealt with leg injuries for most of the season, either with his knee or foot. Johnson himself confirmed in a media availability that he won’t be 100% against Michigan, but he will be ready to play.

Johnson has been Washington’s best option on the ground by a wide margin this season. He’s rushed for 1,162 yards and 16 touchdowns on 222 carries this season, finishing in the top 25 in the country in rushing yards. He sent his biggest statement against USC with 256 yards and four touchdowns on the ground, gashing a leaky Trojans run defense.

No other Huskies running back surpassed 200 yards for the season, and the entire rest of the team managed just 583 yards on 150 carries.

C.J. Gardner-Johnson talks about his return and playing with a torn pec

Gardner-Johnson’s return window has begun, and he’s ready to make up for time lost to the torn pec he played through in Week 2

C.J. Gardner-Johnson is back at Detroit Lions practice a little over three months after tearing a pectoral muscle back in Week 2. His aggressive rehabilitation and recovery allowed the Lions to start the 21-day clock for his return from injured reserve.

His impending return reflects Gardner-Johnson’s toughness, both physical and mental. The physical part of the equation allowed him to finish playing in Week 2 against Seattle even after suffering the injury.

“How did I play through it?” Gardner-Johnson said via Kyle Meinke of MLive. “I’ll tell you how I played through it. I’m a dawg. I don’t think there’s no safety better than me right now. That’s why. I feel like I’m the best safety, so I feel like I have to go out there and prove it. That’s why I did it.”

Gardner-Johnson talked about the long days of work to get back,

“Wake up at 7, I was probably done around 9 o’clock at night.”

Being back with his teammates and helping the Lions pick up the team’s first division title in 30 yards has helped motivate him. The Lions can use his playoff experience, playmaking ability and cocksure presence now that he’s back in the building and ready to play once again.

Editor’s note: Gardner-Johnson has legally changed his name to Ceedy Duce, but the Lions and the NFL officially still list him with his old name. Until the team makes the change, we are obligated to refer to the player by the name officially listed. 

Jesse Edwards out 4 weeks as West Virginia’s streak of bad luck continues

West Virginia center Jesse Edwards is out four weeks after suffering a fractured wrist, another huge blow to an unlucky Mountaineers program.

The West Virginia basketball program cannot catch a break.

A tumultuous offseason, thanks to the firing of longtime head coach Bob Huggins, resulted in the Mountaineers coming into the season with a new-look roster and a lot to prove.

However, before the season even began, expected starting point guard Kerr Kriisa was hit with a nine-game suspension for impermissible benefits received while at Arizona, combo guard Jose Perez left the program due to squabbles over academic issues, and newcomers Raequan Battle and Noah Farrakhan were not granted waivers as two-time transfers.

Now Kriisa is finally back, dropping 20 points with seven assists against UMass on Saturday, while Farrakhan returned and scored 15 off the bench, thanks to the temporary restraining order that granted all two-time transfers immediate eligibility.

Even though the Mountaineers lost to UMass, it finally looked like things were moving in the right direction – until the team announced on Monday that starting center Jesse Edwards suffered a fractured wrist and will be out for roughly four weeks.

Edwards has been one of the few bright spots for West Virginia this season, averaging 14.8 points, 8.7 rebounds, and 1.7 blocks in 10 games.

The former Syracuse grad transfer is among the most prolific shot blockers in the country and to not have him entering Big 12 conference play is a huge blow to a team that finally gained key pieces in the backcourt in Kriisa and Farrakhan, with Battle expected to return this week as well.

Interim head coach Josh Eilert will now have to find a solution to a thin frontcourt, with games against Radford (12/20) and Toledo (12/23) on deck before hosting Ohio State on 12/30 and then starting Big 12 play on the road at Houston on January 6.

Florida’s starting quarterback gives update on injured collarbone

The broken collarbone is not expected to slow down Mertz’s preparation for spring camp.

One of the biggest blows to Florida football’s 2023 campaign was the loss of starting quarterback [autotag]Graham Mertz[/autotag] to an injury in the second half of the Gators’ loss to the Missouri Tigers.

While it was somewhat fortunate that it happened in the penultimate game of the fall schedule, the redshirt junior was the heart and soul of the offense. Sitting out what might have been a winnable game against the Florida State Seminoles in Week 13 may have just added salt to the wound.

X-rays confirmed that Mertz suffered a non-displaced fractured left collarbone that night in Columbia, Missouri, which has a positive prognosis as far as his recovery is concerned. Given that he avoided surgery, his horizon for clearance is now somewhere in the six-week range, suggesting that he will be healthy enough for spring practices barring any setbacks.

“There’s always a general timeline for collarbones,” Mertz told Swamp247. “I think for me, I’m more focused on just my day-to-day, how I’m feeling and how the recovery is coming along. But everything is on schedule and I’m feeling great. So, it should be just a normal timeline.”

The incumbent starting quarterback also sees the longitudinal path to recovery as well.

“The big thing is, if you take care of your body – a broken bone, it’s inevitable. At some point, it’s going to happen when you play a sport. The guys that were older than me at Wisconsin, they took care of their bodies. They showed you how to recover, how to prep for a game,” he added.

“That’s one thing that really helped in my development: how to stay available. That’s one thing. You get dinged up every week, but you gotta prioritize your body.”

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Dan Campbell updates the injury status of Lions center Frank Ragnow

Dan Campbell updates the injury status of Lions center Frank Ragnow, who left Detroit’s win in New Orleans with a leg injury

The Detroit Lions played much of Sunday’s game in New Orleans without Pro Bowl center Frank Ragnow. The veteran left the game with a leg injury and did not return.

Ragnow was officially ruled out with a knee injury. On the play where he was hurt, Ragnow was unintentionally kicked in the back of his calf while planted awkwardly. He was attended to on the field by trainers before slowly walking off with assistance.

Head coach Dan Campbell gave as much of an update as he could in his postgame press conference.

“We won’t know until tomorrow,” Campbell said wincingly. “At first, coming off it sounded like one thing and then after the fact, it sounded like something maybe a little bit different. One is not as good. One sounds more positive. So, I won’t know until tomorrow.”

Campbell then clarified that the latter scenario was the more positive one.

The Lions are traveling back to Detroit on Sunday night and have a practice and press conference scheduled for Monday.

Rice quarterback J.T. Daniels medically retiring from football

The former five-star quarterback prospect suffered multiple concussions and will start a coaching career after doctors advised he retire.

Rice quarterback JT Daniels has medically retired from football and will now pursue a career in coaching, ESPN’s Pete Thamel reported on Friday.

Daniels suffered multiple concussions in his collegiate career, including one in a game against SMU earlier this season. Doctors advised he end his playing career in light of the head injuries.

“I always knew one day I’d coach,” Daniels said in Thamel’s report. “I didn’t think it would come this soon. But one day, I knew that’s what I was going to be doing.”

Daniels, a former five-star prospect coming out of high school, started his playing career with USC in 2018. He transferred to Georgia after two seasons, but he only spent two years in Athens after Stetson Bennett won the starting job. He played for West Virginia in 2022 before transferring to Rice this past season. Daniels ended his six-year collegiate career with 9,390 passing yards, 66 touchdowns, and 32 interceptions.

Florida will be without starting LT against Florida State

After being listed as questionable earlier in the week, Florida left tackle Austin Barber will officially miss the Florida State game.

Although he was listed as questionable heading into Saturday, Florida starting left tackle Austin Barber will be unavailable during the regular season finale against Florida State, according to Jacob Rudner of Swamp247.

Last week, Billy Napier moved right tackle Damieon George Jr. over to the left side, but Kamryn Waites could also end up getting reps at left tackle after seeing snaps against Missouri.

Losing Barber is significant for Florida, but the offensive line hasn’t been at 100 percent all year. That’s not to say the team should be used to it, but this is not a new kind of adversity for the team to overcome.

The Gators are also missing starting quarterback Graham Mertz, who is recovering from a fractured collarbone suffered last week. A betting man might put all his money on Florida to run the ball often tonight. There’s really no other option.

Wide receiver Andy Jean also missed warmups and is not expected to participate in the game, according to All Gators.

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