Tag: shoulder injury

MRI gives good news on Cowboys CB Stephon Gilmore for Packers showdown

From @ToddBrock24f7: The veteran CB told reporters he’d be good to go for Sunday’s wild-card game; an MRI has backed up that prognosis.

It turns out Cowboys cornerback Stephon Gilmore may have known exactly what he was talking about Sunday night when he downplayed the seriousness of the shoulder injury that forced him to leave the team’s Week 18 win before halftime.

ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler reports, per a source, that an MRI showed “no significant damage” to the veteran’s right shoulder.

That would seem to bolster the prognosis Gilmore gave to reporters after Dallas wrapped up the NFC East crown and secured the conference’s No. 2 seed for the postseason with a 38-10 win over Washington.

“It just popped out and they popped it back in place,” he said after the game. “I feel way better now. Happy it wasn’t nothing too crazy.”

“It was better than we anticipated,” said head coach Mike McCarthy on Monday, noting that the team will monitor his progress this week at practice. The coach added that Gilmore will likely wear a harness Sunday to give the shoulder extra support.

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Gilmore hit the ground awkwardly making a play on a pass to Commanders wide receiver Terry McLaurin with about two minutes to play in the first half of Sunday’s season finale. He had assistance keeping his arm elevated as he made his way to the sideline and eventually the tunnel at FedEx Field. The five-time Pro Bowler was declared out for the remainder of the contest and was seen wearing an arm sling during the second half.

Despite playing only the first two quarters, Gilmore led the Cowboys defense on the night with six tackles.

And the 12th-year veteran seemed intent on being available for the Cowboys’ postseason to cap off his first year with the team. Gilmore has not made a playoff appearance since New England’s wild-card loss to Tennessee following the 2019 season.

“I’ll be good,” he said Sunday night. “I’ll be good.”

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Cowboys’ Gilmore: Shoulder ‘popped out,’ vows he’ll ‘be ready to go’ in wild-card round

From @ToddBrock24f7: The veteran CB missed the second half of the Cowboys’ season-ending win, but promises his shoulder injury is “nothing too crazy.”

The Cowboys secondary got a major scare late in the first half of the team’s 38-10 season-ending win when Stephon Gilmore landed awkwardly while making a play. The veteran cornerback was escorted to the locker room and did not return to action, though he was seen on the sideline with his right arm in a sling.

Early reports were that Gilmore had injured a shoulder, leaving fans to wonder if the Dallas defense would have to start their playoff run without either of the corners that had started the 2023 campaign.

But while Trevon Diggs will still be relegated to observer status for the posteason journey, Gilmore says he’ll be in uniform and on the field when the Cowboys host Green Bay in the wild-card round next weekend.

Gilmore’s shoulder “just popped out,” he said after the division-clinching win per the team website, “and they popped it back in place. I feel way better now. Happy it wasn’t nothing too crazy.”

Gilmore entered the Week 18 contest having played more snaps than any Cowboys defender this season. Nahshon Wright came on in his place to finish the game against the Commanders opposite league interception leader and first-time Pro Bowler DaRon Bland, who snared yet another pick on Sunday.

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The Cowboys secondary will face a stiff test in the wild-card round, with the red-hot Jordan Love coming to town averaging nearly two passing touchdowns per game, a rate that’s second in the league.

But if Gilmore’s self-diagnosis is to be believed, he’ll be in his usual spot when the Cowboys defense takes the field in the tournament.

“He told me was fine and he’d be ready to go,” said Dallas head coach Mike McCarthy.

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Texas QB Quinn Ewers to miss time with AC joint sprain

Quinn Ewers will miss time with an AC joint sprain.

Texas quarterback Quinn Ewers has been one of the most impressive signal-callers of the 2023 season, quickly rising up the draft boards for the overall performance he’s put up to this point. Ewers continues to stay relevant in a crowded quarterback class for the 2024 NFL draft.

But he’ll be away from the action for a while, sidelined with a Grade 2 AC joint sprain, as was announced Sunday by ESPN.

It appeared that Ewers sustained the injury during the contest against the Houston Cougars on a short scrambling attempt when he lowered his shoulder against Houston defender David Ugwoegbu instead of sliding.

Ewers stayed in the game for the rest of the drive, which ended in a string of incompletions, before heading to the medical tent and eventually to the locker room.

He rejoined the team late in the fourth quarter on the sideline with his arm in a sling. He finished out the game going 23-of-39 passing for 211 yards with two touchdowns.

Backup Maalik Murphy in Ewers’ place, helping Texas to cross the bridge to victory as he put together a scoring drive late in the third quarter to stave off what would have been a huge upset by the Cougars.

“He’s got a hurt shoulder,” Texas head coach Steve Sarkisian told reporters after the game. “We’ll know more tomorrow on kind of the extent of it. He tried to play through it, but we didn’t feel comfortable enough with his ability to continue to play and that’s when Maalik went in the game.”

There is no exact timetable for Ewers’ return that has been disclosed publicly, though the estimated recovery time for this type of injury is typically, though not always, between two and four weeks.

That would align with the expectation that he will not miss the entire back half of the season.

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Report: Cowboys rookie OL Matt Waletzko to get surgery, likely to miss remainder of ’22

The fifth-round pick suffered his third shoulder sublaxation in a year on Thursday; he’s expected to get surgery and sit out until 2023. | From @ToddBrock24f7

Matt Waletzko has been on the field for exactly one snap with the Cowboys offense as a rookie.

At least the play was a big one; it will likely be Waletzko’s only offensive snap of the season.

Both the team and the rookie tackle have known he would need surgery to repair a recurring shoulder issue. He had hoped it would wait until the offseason, but on Thursday, the 6-foot-8-inch lineman’s luck ran out.

Waletzko suffered a sublaxation- his third in a year- during practice and is expected to miss the rest of the 2022 campaign, as per Michael Gehlken of the Dallas Morning News.

The fifth-round draft pick first suffered the injury to his left shoulder during his senior year at North Dakota and missed the final game of the 2021 college season. He was able, though, to play in the Senior Bowl and participate at the scouting combine.

But in just the Cowboys’ second practice in late July, the injury resurfaced during a drill. He was escorted off the field by trainers and missed most of the rest of training camp.

The 22-year-old finally made his Dallas debut in the team’s third preseason game against Seattle. He played five special teams snaps in Weeks 1 and 2 combined, and then six more against the Giants in Week 3, when he also was put in as a sixth blocking lineman for one play alongside fellow rookie Tyler Smith.

Waletzko and the beefed-up Cowboys line helped spring Ezekiel Elliott for a 1-yard touchdown run in the 23-16 primetime win.

A sublaxation- defined as a partial dislocation- becomes more common the more it happens. While Waletzko was able to strengthen the joint twice before to return to playing shape, he increased the likelihood of re-injuring the shoulder each time.

The Cowboys have decided that three times is enough, and that surgery that was always going to be needed just got moved up the to-do list.

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Dalvin Cook (shoulder) expected to play next Sunday

The Vikings running back seems to have avoided major injury

The Minnesota Vikings beat the Detroit Lions 28-24 in what was a massive clunker for the purple and gold. It didn’t end up mattering how the Vikings played for the first 50 minutes because the last 10 were excellent for the Vikings.

They came back from a 10 point deficit and they did so without starting running back Dalvin Cook who injured his left shoulder for what feels like the 10th time in a Vikings uniform.

After the game, Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk reported that Cook would be playing in London this upcoming Sunday morning and would be wearing a shoulder brace.

This is contrary to what head coach Kevin O’Connell said at his postgame press conference where he said that Cook told him that he will play on Sunday. O’Connell spoke a slightly different tone where he said they would do “what’s best” for Cook.

Playing Cook so early could prove to be a mistake depending on the severity of the injury itself. The injury itself is that it was dislocated and a partial tear of his labrum.

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Report: Cowboys rookie OL Matt Waletzko could delay surgery, play in 2022

The rookie tackle has responded well to rest and rehab. He could start the season on IR, which would make him eligible to play this season. | From @ToddBrock24f7

When they selected him in the fifth round of the most recent draft, the Cowboys put plenty of expectations on the shoulders of 22-year-old Matt Waletzko.

Now there’s a great deal of hope resting on just one of the tackle’s sizable shoulders, the one with the dislocated joint that will require surgery.

But Michael Gehlken of the Dallas Morning News reports that the 6-foot-8-inch rookie may be able to postpone that operation until the offseason and find his way back to the field during the 2022 schedule.

The paper cites “two people familiar with his progress” with the update.

Waletzko suffered the injury- termed a subluxation- during his senior year at North Dakota, causing him to miss the final game of the season. Still, he was named first-team all-conference and impressed at both the Senior Bowl and the NFL Scouting Combine.

But the injury resurfaced in just the Cowboys’ second practice, on July 28. He was escorted off the field by trainers and has been out ever since.

Reports suggest that rest and rehab work since then has been good for the Minnesota native, and while surgery on the shoulder is a matter of when– not if– for Waletzko, further progress could make him available sometime this season and delay the procedure until afterward.

Assuming Waletzko makes the final 53-man roster on Aug. 30, the team could place him on injured reserve. He would be available to return after four missed games.

The swing tackle position is of significant interest for the Cowboys offensive line, with Tyron Smith already limping this preseason and Terence Steele now officially the permanent starter after the departure of La’el Collins.

Second-year man Josh Ball took over at swing following Waletzko’s injury and saw heavy playing time against Denver in the team’s first preseason game. It was his first game action in 20 months, and it showed.

Waletzko’s availability for the regular season could be the deciding factor in whether the club pursues outside veteran help at the position.

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Report: Tight end Jared Wiley back in practice, expected to play against Rice

Texas will be getting Jared Wiley back for Rice on Saturday. According to Horns247, the tight end is back in practice and is expected to play.

One of the few injuries Texas has dealt with early in the season has been Jared Wiley. The tight end’s shoulder has been bothering him throughout fall camp and it’s bled into the first two games.

Wiley played limited snaps in the opener against Louisiana and then completely missed last week’s Arkansas game. Texas ran a lot more one tight end formations and struggled to block the Razorbacks’ defensive front.

Thankfully, it seems as if Texas will be getting Wiley back this weekend against Rice. According to Horns247, he is back in practice and is expected to play against Rice on Saturday.

Wiley is still listed as TE2 on the depth chart, having an ‘OR’ next to his name with Gunnar Helm. However, it is believed if Wiley is fully healthy, he will be the one to get most of the playing time.

There is more to offer than just extra blocking from Wiley.

It’s no secret Hudson Card struggled throwing the ball downfield in Fayetteville. With Casey Thompson taking over this weekend, getting a receiving tight end back in the lineup should allow Sarkisian to diversify his play calling. The offense needs to get back on track quickly.

Contact/Follow us @LonghornsWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Texas news, notes, and opinions.

Report: Freshman wide receiver Malik Nabers to miss several games

The LSU Tigers were hit with another injury, freshman WR Malik Nabers will miss several games.

Football season for the LSU Tigers will begin on Saturday as they head to the Rose Bowl for a showdown with the UCLA Bruins. It won’t come without some injury news.

Head coach Ed Orgeron spoke with members of the media on Wednesday morning and stated that freshman Malik Nabers will miss several games. Wilson Alexander of The Advocate reports that Nabers is dealing with a shoulder injury. The Tigers’ wide receiver depth takes a bit of a hit after Nabers showed out during fall camp.

Nabers was expected to see some time in the wide receiver rotation but that will have to wait for now. The team is deep at the position but it could slow the progression of a young wide receiver. Nabers was the No. 8 recruit out of the state of Louisiana in the 2021 recruiting class. Originally committed to play at Mississippi State but flipped on Dec. 16, 2020, and signed his letter of intent to play for Ed Orgeron.

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The Tigers are hopeful they can get off to a fast start in 2021 by taking down the Bruins. Last season LSU fell in the opener to Mississippi State 44-34. This time around they play a nonconference opponent from the Pac-12. This will be the first look for fans of the LSU changes from last year’s team.

Jake Peetz will call the plays from the booth, as will new defensive coordinator Daronte Jones. The kickoff for the LSU-UCLA game is set for 7:30 pm CST and will be aired on Fox.

Contact/Follow us @LSUTigersWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Louisiana State news, notes, and opinions.

McCarthy: Dak Prescott has one chance to play in Cowboys preseason

Cowboys QB Dak Prescott wants to play versus Houston on Saturday; his coach says if he doesn’t, he’ll have to wait until September 9th. | From @ToddBrock24f7

Dak Prescott has expressed his desire to take at least a few live snaps in the Cowboys’ third preseason game versus Houston on Saturday. But the team is taking a slow and methodical approach with their five-year veteran quarterback, not wanting to risk further damage to a muscle strain in his throwing shoulder.

This week of practice will be the key: if Prescott isn’t far enough along in his recovery to play in the Houston exhibition, he won’t get game action at all until the season opener September 9th against the defending Super Bowl champions.

Cowboys coach Mike McCarthy put it just that bluntly as he spoke to the media Monday.

“If he doesn’t play this week, I won’t play him in the fourth [preseason game],” McCarthy explained. “To me, the fourth [preseason] game is for the players that are competing for the final roster spots. That’s what I believe in.”

McCarthy said he felt Prescott was already in “midseason form” when he alerted the coaching staff to soreness in his right shoulder during the team’s first padded practice July 28th. And just like that, no more throwing for the two-time Pro Bowler who was on an early pace to shatter the single-season passing record last year.

Prescott began doing just some light throwing again last week.

“You have to build up his volume of throws again,” McCarthy said. “We really don’t want to put him in a position where we can re-injure it.”

While the 28-year-old passer may be champing at the bit to get back on the field in a live-fire situation, McCarthy is exercising extreme patience.

“We’ll see how the week goes, but there’s no urgency, from my perspective, to see Dak play [against] Houston. This is more about we just don’t want to create a setback possibility.”

Prescott has put a focus on mental reps, reading defenses from the sideline and going through progressions in his head to keep his mind sharp. But taking those first actual snaps- even in a meaningless preseason game- would be, for a player who hasn’t faced guys in different colored uniforms in 300-plus days, anything but meaningless.

“I think we’d all like that,” McCarthy admitted. “It’s just not the priority.”

The priority, of course, is to have the face of the franchise at full strength and speed for when the games actually count. The Cowboys hope they don’t need Prescott to sling it 50 times per game- his average over the first four full games last season- but McCarthy knows if they push it too hard now, Prescott could be right back to no throws at all when it suddenly matters.

“We’re just trying to get his volume back to where it belongs.”

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Texas WR Joshua Moore not practicing due to shoulder injury

Joshua Moore did not participate in Wednesday’s practice due to a shoulder injury. According to Texas, the wide receiver is listed as day-to-day.

The injury bug has been nice to Texas early on in fall camp. No significant injuries have occurred, keeping Steve Sarkisian’s squad fresh before the season opener against Louisiana.

However, one of the Longhorns’ projected top offensive players will be missing some practice time.

Joshua Moore did not participate in Wednesday’s practice due to a shoulder injury. According to Texas, the wide receiver is listed as day-to-day, hoping to get back on the field as soon as possible.

Dealing with injuries is nothing new for Moore. He suffered a knee injury against TCU last season and then a shoulder injury against Oklahoma State. Despite the setbacks, Moore was able to have a solid season on paper.

Being the leading receiver last season, Moore hauled in 30 receptions for 472 yards and nine touchdowns. If the 2021 season were to start today, he is expected to be one of the starters.

Being able to gain weight has been a big part of Moore’s offseason, now weighing in at 176 pounds.

“I’ve always been the smallest player on the field my whole life,” said Moore. “It’s just about your heart in my opinion.”

After playing last season 12 pounds lighter, Moore is ready to play in Sarkisian’s offense. He knows how well the head coach can scheme wide receivers into good positions.

“What makes [Sarkisian’s offense] so unique, every receiver that runs a route, no matter what defense they play, somebody will be open.”

Once the shoulder is healthy, Moore should be back on the practice field with the first team. Working with both Casey Thompson and Hudson Card every day, he should be a major factor in helping Texas decide the starting spot. However, he credits the quarterbacks for early camp success.

“Both of them sling the rock,” Moore said. “They make us look good. It’s not that we make them look good. If you come to practice, you’ll see for yourself. They’re putting it right where it needs to be, and it’s a strong battle right now.”

With Texas’ scrimmage scheduled for Saturday, Moore’s status will be one of the things to keep an eye out for.