Tag: MRI

Cowboys’ Tyler Smith to get MRI on hamstring; Jerry Jones: ‘It hopefully is not serious’

From @ToddBrock24f7: Jerry Jones says every team lacks the OL depth they want, but things at left guard look especially bleak if Smith can’t go Sunday night.

Tyler Smith came in as a 21-year-old rookie, learned a new position in training camp, and then switched back to his usual spot right before the 2022 season. And all the first-round draft pick did then was lead the entire Cowboys team in game snaps for the year.

Now entering his second season, Smith is suddenly a question mark to be there when the offense takes its first snap of the 2023 regular season. Smith left Monday’s practice after just a few minutes, complaining of tightness in one of his hamstrings.

It’s a troubling development less than a week before visiting MetLife Stadium to face the rival Giants in Week 1. It’s even more worrisome, given the team’s apparent lack of depth along the offensive line.

But Cowboys owner Jerry Jones offered an encouraging prognosis on Smith’s hamstring on a radio appearance Tuesday morning.

“We felt better about that as we visited and assessed it after practice,” Jones told Shan & RJ on 105.3 The Fan. “You always are concerned initially, but as he got acclimated a little bit there off of it, it hopefully is not serious enough an injury to impact him Sunday.”

Early reports classified Smith’s injury as “minor,” according to a person familiar with the matter.

The Tulsa product is scheduled to get a precautionary MRI on Tuesday, with the team’s next practice set for Wednesday.

Jones is optimistic that the official results will back up the team’s first impressions and that Smith will be available to take his spot at left guard in New York.

“Nothing that we’ve evaluated keeps him out of it at this point.”

The Cowboys need to hope Dr. Jerry’s diagnosis is correct.

The team website has no second-string left guard even listed; fifth-round rookie Asim Richards is considered the third option at the position. Along with right-side staple Zack Martin, undrafted rookie T.J. Bass is the only other guard on the active roster.

Backup offensive linemen Josh Ball, Matt Waletzko, and Chuma Edoga are currently nursing injuries. Earl Bostick Jr., Alex Taylor-Prioleau, Sean Harlow, and Brock Hoffman are the current practice squad linemen in Dallas, but none of them has made a regular-season appearance for the team.

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Yet Jones says that’s simply life in today’s game.

“We feel very good about this roster, where it is. As pointed out- and [it’s] true- your depth in the offensive line would be [a thin spot] that I would go to. Get in line; I don’t know of a team in the NFL that doesn’t say that,” Jones explained. “That means that you’re going to be playing some games out there with, potentially, a little concern there. That’s why you need an offense that can execute when there’s not perfect protection, or [it’s] not perfectly run-blocked. You’ve got to have a team that can adjust when they don’t have the perfect offensive line.”

The Cowboys famously never got their best five offensive linemen on the field together for a single snap in 2022.

And now the first snap of 2023 is in jeopardy, too.

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Jaguars QB Trevor Lawrence to get MRI on injured foot, toe

Trevor Lawrence’s knee is OK, but he’ll undergo tests to see if his foot and toe avoided damage as well.

Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence avoided what looked like it could’ve been a season-ending knee injury Sunday, but he’ll undergo an MRI to determine if there was any damage elsewhere.

“It’s actually the foot and the toe area,” Jaguars coach Doug Pederson told reporters Monday. “Knee was checked out today, he’s good there. No issues. Obviously sore from the hit, but we’re still getting some more testing done on his foot and toe area.

“I think things are trending in the right direction, but I won’t have a definite until I get the report later today on his foot and everything.”

Pederson said that testing will include an MRI of Lawrence’s injured left foot.

Lawrence, 23, initially grabbed the back of his knee after he was awkwardly twisted to the ground on a sack.

After being attended to by medical staff on the field, Lawrence walked off the field under his own power. While he stayed in the locker room immediately after halftime, Lawrence eventually jogged to the sideline before the Jaguars’ first possession of the second half and stayed in the game.

In addition to 179 passing yards, Lawrence was healthy enough to take off and run multiple times in the second half, finishing the game with 32 rushing yards.

Lawrence has not missed a game in his young NFL career, although he did briefly exit a November 2021 game against the Buffalo Bills due to an ankle injury.

Cowboys’ Dak Prescott downplays calf injury, walking boot, MRI: ‘Have fun with it this week’

Prescott wore a walking boot Sunday night and will get an MRI on Monday, but says he could’ve kept playing had he needed to vs the Pats. | From @ToddBrock24f7

Dak Prescott signed a lucrative endorsement deal with the Jordan Brand as he rehabbed from injury during the offseason. But following the biggest win yet of his comeback campaign, a walk-off overtime win over the New England Patriots, the Cowboys quarterback was sporting a rather generic- and somewhat concerning- choice of footwear when he addressed the media after the game.

“I figured we weren’t playing for a week, so I would give you guys something to talk about and speculate on this time. So there you go,” Prescott joked in explaining the plastic walking boot immobilizing his right foot. “Might get Jordan to make one of these.”

Prescott will get an MRI on Monday, according to the team. The passer reportedly suffered a calf strain on the final play of the contest, a 35-yard touchdown strike to wide receiver CeeDee Lamb that ended the rollercoaster ride in Foxborough in dramatic fashion, giving Dallas a 35-29 victory.

“The last throw, I just came down funny,” Prescott confirmed. “That’s what it was. Something that will be checked out. I’ll be fine, I can promise you that. Great time to be going into the bye week. As I said, you all can have fun with it this week.”

As ESPN’s injury analyst Stephania Bell explained on Twitter, “Walking boot has an elevated heel. Helps rock foot forward when walking thereby decreasing work of calf (doesn’t have to push off). Smart proactive move, even if not serious.”

Prescott felt good enough to do a postgame interview with CBS sideline reporter Tracy Wolfson in the moments after the injury. But he was noticeably limping on the field after the game went final, and received assistance from running back Ezekiel Elliott getting back to the visitors locker room.

Yet the veteran in his sixth season says he could have played on had the game not ended when it did.

“For sure,” he told reporters. “It was a little pain, but, for sure I would’ve been able to keep going. Obviously, I think the adrenaline would’ve been up and [I] may not have even felt it at the time. I think at the time you relax you’re like, ‘Oh, there it is.'”

The 28-year-old, in his sixth game back after an eleven-month recovery from a brutal right ankle dislocation and compound fracture admitted that last year’s injury colored his immediate reaction to feeling something “funny” when he came down on the same leg on the last play of Sunday’s game.

“Yeah, it’s like, ‘No way.’ Life keeps throwing punches, and I’m going to keep throwing them back,” Prescott said. “It’s part of it, it’s part of this game. It’s a physical game we play. As I said, I’ll be fine. I’ve got a lot of confidence in myself and the medical team. As I said, I feel good; obviously, this is a precaution… It doesn’t hurt as bad, obviously, when you score and you win the game.”

Dr. David Chao, sports medical analyst for SiriusXM Radio, said in a YouTube update, “I do not see a significant calf strain,” based on video of the play in question. He pointed to an Instagram clip that showed Prescott taking “many further steps” after landing awkwardly as he made the game-winning throw. “I have reasonable confidence that Dak will be fine,” Chao said, for the team’s next game.

The Cowboys are off in Week 7. Their next game comes October 31 in a Sunday night meeting with the Vikings in Minnesota.

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Seahawks in ‘good hands’ with Geno Smith if Russell Wilson misses time

The Seahawks will be in good hands turning to backup quarterback Geno Smith if starter Russell Wilson misses time with a finger injury.

Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson left the Week-5 contest against the Los Angeles Rams in the third quarter when he suffered a badly sprained finger on his throwing hand.

Wilson is now headed to see a specialist and if the injury turns out to be a mallet finger condition, he could miss some significant time while he recovers.

Backup quarterback Geno Smith took over when Wilson exited the game and coach Pete Carroll has faith the veteran will be able to carry the weight going forward should his number be called.

“If Geno is going to play for us some as Russ comes back, you know, he showed that we’re in good hands,” Carroll said during his postgame press conference. “I was just proud for him and the fact that he hung with us all this time and believed in being part of this program. Then when he got his chance, he did really. That was pretty good.”

Smith finished Thursday night completing 10 of 17 passes attempted for 131 yards, one touchdown and one interception that only came as a result of Tyler Lockett – the intended target – stumbling and falling on the play.

“I went right to Geno afterwards and said, you been waiting a long time for your opportunity,” Carroll told reporters. “The faith you’ve shown in our program and us to stay with us, so proud that when he got in there, he did great. He really looked good. He’s been working for that. He’s a talented football player. He knows our system.”

The Seahawks have a mini-bye before they are set to square off against the Steelers in Week 6, when Smith may very well be leading the charge.

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Report: Chiefs DE Frank Clark to have MRI on aggravated hamstring

#Chiefs DE Frank Clark is set for an MRI on his injured hamstring, but there is optimism he’ll be ready for the season opener per a new report.

Kansas City Chiefs DE Frank Clark aggravated his hamstring injury during practice on Tuesday.

According to a new report from NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero, Clark is scheduled to have an MRI on his injured hamstring. This is precautionary and the team doesn’t seem to think the injury is anything that would keep him from playing in the season opener.

Clark left the Chiefs’ August 12 training camp practice with hamstring spasms. He sat out two more practices and the preseason opener against the San Francisco 49ers as a precaution. He was back at practice on Tuesday and made it about halfway through the practice period before being assisted off the field by the training staff.

Clark’s offseason troubles haven’t just been injury-related. Ahead of training camp details emerged of Clark’s arrest for possession of an illegal firearm, the second of such arrests in three months. His arraignment has been delayed until October.

With 53-man roster cuts coming in late August, Clark’s injury and legal status could come into play when it comes to how many edge rushers the team carries on the roster. Our latest projection has the team carrying five defensive ends, including Clark. It’s possible that the team decides to keep an extra defensive end with the various troubles that Clark has encountered this offseason.

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Dak Prescott: ‘No doubt’ he’ll be ready for Week 1 despite buzz over follow-up MRI

Prescott and his coach maintain that the Cowboys are just being cautious; the QB is back to taking mental reps to prepare for action. | From @ToddBrock24f7

Back in June, as Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott made his gradual return to the field, he expressed a desire to “bury” the ankle injury that snuffed out his 2020 season and dominated every conversation he had in the eight months that followed.

This may not be what he had in mind.

Ever since prematurely leaving the field on July 28, during the team’s first padded practice in Oxnard, the topic of Prescott’s ankle has taken a backseat… to his right shoulder. The veteran entering his sixth season was shelved from throwing for over a week, and has done only soft passing in recent days as he recovers from what has been termed a right shoulder strain.

Prescott, for his part, maintains that he will be 100% for the season opener September 9th.

“There’s no doubt,” Prescott told NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero. “That’s the purpose of taking it slow and being cautious. The moment I get back and get going again, it’s not going to be lingering, there’s not going to be problems, and that’s us playing it safe and being cautious with it. Last year was a tough year, and I never want to miss that much football again.”

Nor do Cowboys fans. Which is what made a cryptic tweet from team so disturbing. Just when Prescott was seen lobbing some easy throws to wideout Amari Cooper, the quarterback announced he would be getting a follow-up MRI on his shoulder upon the club’s return to Dallas this weekend.

The Cowboys tried to reassure fans it wasn’t a setback or a reason to worry.

Much of Cowboys Nation, of course, lost its collective mind- assuming it must be a setback and most definitely a reason to worry.

Pelissero reported that there is no smokescreen here.

“Dak is fine,” he said on-air, confirming the team’s stance.

Coach Mike McCarthy also toed the party line, expressing that not having Prescott slinging the rock in practice sessions or exhibition games is nothing more than an abundance of caution.

“The longer you do this job, the more you worry,” McCarthy told Pelissero. “Frankly, respectfully, we’re protecting Dak from himself. We just don’t want it turn into a serious deal. We’re close. We’re getting there, and he’s doing it the right way.”

He’s doing it, in fact, exactly the way he did his ankle rehab: remaining around the team, doing as much as he can do, maybe pushing just a little bit, focusing on improving, staying ready mentally.

The 28-year-old knows the mental aspect of his recovery from multiple ankle surgeries played a massive role in his relatively speedy return to action.

“Maybe ninety percent or more,” he estimates. “A lot of it was to help the teammates out, and that’s all I know. But at the same time, I knew it was important for me to keep my mind rolling stay engaged in the game, be there as much as I could, and I knew that would help me get through those challenging parts when I wasn’t able to rehab and I was just sitting with my leg up.”

As for that ankle injury he wanted to finally bury for good two months ago, he still gets asked about it. But Prescott says there’s nothing more he needs to do for it, no more hurdles to clear.

“None,” he stated plainly. “I’ve done everything, I think, to this point to get myself ready to go. In the team reps that I’ve had, I don’t think about it. It’s not like it’s bothering me or hurts me. Now it’s just getting out there and bringing success for the team.”

Just getting out there, it seems, will be more than half the battle. At least for a fanbase that’s grown impatient wondering if their quarterback will be able to, well, play quarterback sometime soon.

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Cowboys QB Dak Prescott set for another MRI; still hoping to play in preseason

The Cowboys QB will get a second MRI upon the team’s return to Dallas; his “plan” is to play the preseason game August 21st against Houston. | From @ToddBrock24f7

At Tuesday’s practice in Oxnard, Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott was dishing out passes to fresh-off-the-PUP-list wideout Amari Cooper. By Tuesday night, Prescott was featuring prominently in the season premiere of HBO’s Hard Knocks.

Watching him clown around with teammates and hearing him grouse to the coaching staff about coming out after feeling a twinge in his throwing shoulder back on July 28, all felt right in the world of Cowboys Nation.

Twenty-four hours later, though, Prescott revealed that he’s due to get another MRI on his right shoulder when the team returns to Dallas after Friday night’s preseason game in Arizona.

It’s not a surprise, and not a sign of some setback. It’s a smart follow-up for anyone who’s suffered a shoulder injury, and a no-brainer of a business decision for a guy who just signed a $160 million dollar contract to throw things for a living.

But until Prescott and the Cowboys get a doctor’s all-clear from that MRI, it’s just the latest thing for everyone to sweat over.

Not that Prescott is.

“Good,” said Prescott when asked Wednesday how his shoulder was feeling. “No residuals, no soreness past what we’d necessarily expect, I guess you could say. Just staying on this track, staying smart about it, looking forward to continuing to do that, keep stacking more days on top of each other, getting more reps as I go… continuing to progress.”

Viewers of Hard Knocks‘ first episode saw Prescott’s frustration with having his progress paused as the team learned of his shoulder strain.

“Obviously, when they tell you to stop, you don’t want to hear it, but you understand why,” Prescott explained.

“It’s tough. I’m a go-go-go guy. I always want to be in the action, getting better. I think more reps are better. Better for me, but obviously, something like this, you can’t stretch it too fast. Sitting out and being out all the time I was out last year, that’s what I think about. That’s what’s able to pull me back in. So it’s risk versus reward at this point, and I’ve got to know what I’m playing for, and that’s to be ready for the season.”

Prescott and the team are confident he’ll be a full go for the September 9th opener against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, even thought he admits he’d like to see some action when the Cowboys host the Texans in their third preseason game on August 21st.

“That’s the plan, obviously, if everything keeps progressing the way it’s been,” Prescott said. “I’m going to be optimistic about that. So [I’ll] keep doing the things that I need to do; I’m being very cautious with it. Making sure that, more importantly, I’m ready for the season opener.”

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Cowboys’ Vander Esch says ankle not broken, MRI to come

The third-year linebacker says he suffered a high ankle injury in Sunday’s win over San Francisco; he’ll undergo further tests on Monday.

In a game that featured plenty for Cowboys fans to cheer about, there were a few dark moments during the team’s 41-33 win over visiting San Francisco. One came in the third quarter when linebacker Leighton Vander Esch went down with an apparent ankle injury after assisting on a tackle of 49ers running back Tevin Coleman.

While Vander Esch was able to leave the field under his own power, he was seen being escorted into the tunnel shortly thereafter. He was immediately listed as questionable to return but never did. Now one has to wonder if Vander Esch will return to the field at all in 2020.

The third-year star out of Boise State was seen after the game in a walking boot, but he was quick to point out that he doesn’t believe he suffered any sort of fracture.

If his self-diagnosis of a high ankle sprain is correct, it may require Vander Esch to shut it down for the remaining two games of the regular season.

It’s been a tough year for Vander Esch. He broke a collarbone in the team’s season opener against the Rams, but remarkably missed only four games before returning Week 6 versus Arizona.

As a rookie in 2018, the first-round pick led the Cowboys with 140 tackles. He’s been in on just 57 so far this season.

Veteran Sean Lee took over Vander Esch’s slot on Sunday; he may be called upon to play a large role in the defense if Vander Esch misses more time with this ankle injury.

The Cowboys close out the season against division rivals Philadelphia and New York and still have a slim mathematical chance of earning a playoff berth.

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Seahawks wide receiver Tyler Lockett day to day with knee sprain

Seattle Seahawks wide receiver Tyler Lockett is day to day Week 11 against the Arizona Cardinals with a knee sprain he recently sustained.

Seattle Seahawks wide receiver Tyler Lockett popped up on Monday’s estimated practice participation report with a knee injury just one day after the loss to the Los Angeles Rams.

The Seahawks are set to square off against the Cardinals Thursday night and Lockett’s absence would be a real concern for Seattle’s offense.

Coach Pete Carroll was asked about Lockett’s injury during Monday afternoon’s press conference.

“He’s got a bit of a knee sprain,” Carroll told reporters. “In general, he’s already had it checked out and MRI’d and all that kind of stuff. So he’s in a little bit of discomfort, little bit of swelling today but it’s not a serious knee injury.

“We’ll look to see how he does day to day and take it to Thursday.”

The Seahawks are set to return to practice Tuesday morning to begin to prepare to face off against the Cardinals.

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Report: Seahawks RB Chris Carson could miss time due to foot sprain

Seatle Seahawks running back Chris Carson could miss playing time due to a foot sprain he sustained in the team’s loss to the Cardinals.

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Seattle Seahawks running back Chris Carson left the team’s matchup against the Arizona Cardinals early on Sunday night due to a foot injury.

“Chris has got a mid-foot sprain,” coach Pete Carroll told reporters after the game. “We don’t know until we get an MRI what that means or what the extent of it is.”

The results from the MRI have now come back, according to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, who confirmed the diagnosis via Twitter on Monday.

“Source: #Seahawks RB Chris Carson, who left the game early, had his MRI and it showed that he did have a mid-foot sprain,” Rapoport tweeted. “He’s week-to-week, an indication he’ll miss some time.”

Carroll is scheduled to talk to the media later in the afternoon and will likely provide more information on Carson’s status then.

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