Category: NFL / NCAA Football Injuries and Suspensions
NFL Injuries news, return timelines, and updates from around the league.
Jets place left guard James Carpenter on season-ending IR
FLORHAM PARK, N.J. (AP) — The New York Jets have placed left guard James Carpenter on the injured reserve list with a shoulder injury, ending the season for one of the team’s most reliable players.
Carpenter had started in 58 straight games since signing with the Jets as a free agent in 2015 until missing New York’s 27-13 loss to New England last Sunday. Spencer Long moved from center to left guard, and Jonotthan Harrison took over in Long’s spot. It appears that will be the plan moving forward.
The 29-year-old Carpenter was a first-round pick by Seattle out of Alabama in 2011. He played his first four seasons with the Seahawks, including winning a Super Bowl in 2014.
The Jets also announced Wednesday that they have promoted offensive lineman Ben Braden from the practice squad.
Running back Mark Thompson was signed to the practice squad. He was signed by Baltimore as an undrafted free agent in the spring out of Florida.
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Lions return specialist Agnew back at practice after injury
ALLEN PARK, Mich. (AP) — Detroit Lions return specialist Jamal Agnew is returning to practice after sitting out since Week 5 because of a knee injury.
The team removed him from the reserve-injured designation on Wednesday.
Agnew was an All-Pro last season and returned two punts for touchdowns. The Lions also have played him at cornerback and on offense.
He is averaging 27.8 yards on kickoff returns and 5.6 on punt returns this season. Agnew also has made seven tackles.
The Lions (4-7) host the NFC West-leading Rams (10-1) on Sunday.
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Vikings place starting safety Andrew Sendejo on IR
EAGAN, Minn. (AP) — The Minnesota Vikings have placed safety Andrew Sendejo on injured reserve, ending his season after a groin injury limited him to only five games.
The 31-year-old Sendejo, the fourth-longest tenured player on the team, latched on with the Vikings in 2011 as a special teams player and has started 58 games over the past six seasons. He has been a fixture in the starting lineup next to Harrison Smith since 2015.
The move was made on Tuesday, when the Vikings promoted undrafted rookie cornerback Craig James from the practice squad to the active roster. James played two years at Minnesota before finishing his college career at Southern Illinois. One of his teammates with the Gophers, cornerback Jalen Myrick, was signed to the practice squad for a second stint this season.
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Steelers tight ends McDonald, Grimble dealing with injuries
PITTSBURGH (AP) — The Pittsburgh Steelers will have their depth at tight end tested with Vance McDonald and Xavier Grimble both dealing with injuries.
Coach Mike Tomlin said Tuesday that McDonald has a hip issue while Grimble is in the concussion protocol. McDonald could be limited early in the week as the Steelers (7-3-1) prepare for a visit from the Los Angeles Chargers (8-3).
Grimble, the third-string tight end after McDonald and Jesse James, had a critical fumble at the goal line in a loss at Denver on Sunday. Tomlin added linebacker Bud Dupree has a pectoral injury that could make his status uncertain.
Pittsburgh right tackle Marcus Gilbert could practice this week after missing the past five games with an ankle injury. Defensive end Stephon Tuitt could also return after missing two weeks because of an elbow injury.
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Bengals' Andy Dalton out for season with thumb injury
CINCINNATI (AP) — Andy Dalton is out for the rest of the season with an injured thumb on his passing hand, another significant blow to a Bengals team that has fallen apart in the past month.
Dalton reached for a fumbled ball and had someone land on his right hand during a 35-20 rout by the Cleveland Browns on Sunday, Cincinnati’s fifth loss in its past six games.
Just like that, a season that started with so much promise has turned into a nosedive .
Cincinnati (5-6) is without its quarterback or much hope that things will get much better down the stretch. The Bengals put Dalton on injured reserve after he had more tests and medical opinions Monday about the best way to get the thumb healed.
It’s the same thumb that Dalton broke while making a tackle on an interception return against the Steelers in 2015. He missed the last three regular-season games and an 18-16 loss to the Steelers in a first-round playoff game at Paul Brown Stadium.
Jeff Driskel will start for the Bengals the rest of the way, getting his first chance to lead the team in his third NFL season. The Bengals claimed quarterback Tom Savage off waivers from the San Francisco 49ers as a backup on Monday.
“The more you get out there and the more you play well, the more confidence you are going to get in yourself and the people around you,” Driskel said Monday.
Dalton completed 62 percent of his passes for 2,566 yards with 21 touchdowns, 11 interceptions and a passer rating of 89.6, the third-highest of his eight-year career.
Even with Dalton, the Bengals weren’t doing much except losing.
After a 4-1 start that boosted them atop the AFC North, the Bengals have lost five of six and fallen to third place. It’s their worst stretch since 2016, when they went 1-5-1 over the middle of the schedule and finished 6-9-1, ending their streak of five straight playoff appearances.
After Dalton got hurt on Sunday, Driskel came in and threw his first career touchdown pass and ran for another as the Browns went conservative with a big lead. Cleveland threw the ball only four times in the second half and played softer on defense. Driskel was 17 of 29 for 155 yards.
Coordinator Bill Lazor said Monday that Driskel has shown his ability to lead the offense in his limited opportunities.
“I think guys see it, and that’s the important part,” Lazor said. “You can’t talk them into feeling good about somebody; they’ve got to earn it. And he’s earned it every day in practice and in the preseason games.”
With Driskel running the offense, the Bengals had five false-start penalties — each by a different player — and one more for an illegal shift in the fourth quarter. Driskel thinks that working with the starting offense in practice this week will fix the problems.
“The more time you are able to get in and out of the huddle with those guys, hear the cadence, say the cadence, it’s just beneficial,” he said. “I don’t think it helps coming off the bench.”
With five games left and Dalton hurt, the Bengals are facing a big challenge.
“They’ve got to do it,” coach Marvin Lewis said. “They’ve got to dig out.”
INJURY UPDATE
Cornerback Tony McRae suffered a concussion in the third quarter. The medical staff strapped him to a backboard and wheeled him off the field, concerned he might have a spinal injury. Lewis said Monday that McRae had a concussion but no spinal injury.
HUE’S GAME BALL
Lewis didn’t have anything to say about Browns safety Damarious Randall handing the ball to Hue Jackson after he intercepted one of Dalton’s passes on Sunday.
“I don’t want to comment on somebody else’s player,” Lewis said.
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Bengals' Dalton out for season with thumb injury
CINCINNATI (AP) — Andy Dalton is out for the season with a thumb injury suffered in the Bengals’ latest loss.
Dalton hurt the thumb on his passing hand when he tried to recover a fumble in the second half of a 35-20 rout by the Cleveland Browns on Sunday. He was placed on injured reserve after more tests on Monday.
Jeff Driskel will start for the Bengals the rest of the way, getting his first chance to lead the team in his third NFL season. The Bengals claimed quarterback Tom Savage off waivers from the San Francisco 49ers as a backup.
The Bengals (5-6) have lost five of their past six games, falling to third in the AFC North.
Dalton broke the same thumb while making a tackle on an interception return in 2015.
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Arizona's Humphries, Williams, Bucannon out against Chargers
TEMPE, Ariz. (AP) — Arizona Cardinals left tackle D.J. Humphries, wide receiver Chad Williams and linebacker Deone Bucannon have been declared out of Sunday’s game at the Los Angeles Chargers due to injuries.
Humphries has an ongoing knee issue, Williams an ankle injury and Bucannon a chest injury. Safety Rudy Ford (heel) also won’t play against the Chargers.
Kicker Phil Dawson (right hip) is listed as questionable after missing last weekend’s loss to Oakland. If Dawson can’t play, the kicker probably would be Zane Gonzalez, signed to the practice squad this week. Safety/nickel back Budda Baker, who sat out the Raiders game, is listed as questionable for the Chargers with a knee injury.
Also on the long list of questionable participants are left guard Mike Iupati (back), defensive tackle Robert Nkemdiche (calif), defensive tackle Corey Peters (heel/back), defensive tackle Olsen Pierre (ankle) and tight end John Phillips (knee).
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Bears QB Mitchell Trubisky listed as doubtful vs Lions
LAKE FOREST, Ill. (AP) — Chicago Bears quarterback Mitchell Trubisky was listed as doubtful Wednesday for the Thanksgiving Day game in Detroit against the Lions.
Trubisky suffered a right shoulder injury in the fourth quarter of Sunday night’s 25-20 win over the Minnesota Vikings.
If he can’t play, the Bears will turn to backup Chase Daniel, who has not started or played extensively in an NFL game since 2014.
At 32, Daniel is the oldest player on the Chicago roster and hasn’t thrown more than two passes in a season since 2014 in Kansas City. He does have extensive knowledge of the Bears’ offensive system run by former Chiefs assistant and current Chicago head coach Matt Nagy.
Earlier this week, Chicago offensive coordinator Mark Helfrich said he saw no reason for play-calling to be altered should Daniel play.
“They’re not that significantly different,” Helfrich said. “Certainly, you’re going to tailor things to one person or another absolutely, but within the same structure. We’re not going to change the offense if something happens. You can’t do that.”
The Bears (7-3) have won four straight games. Detroit (4-6) is coming off a win over Carolina after three straight losses.
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Seahawks linebackers in flux with Wright sidelined by injury
RENTON, Wash. (AP) — For the second time this season the Seahawks are having to find an option at weakside linebacker with K.J. Wright is sidelined due to injury.
Wright has missed seven of Seattle’s 10 games played this season due to a knee injury that surfaced during pregame warmups of the team’s preseason game in Minnesota in August. Wright had surgery shortly after and missed the first six weeks of the season as setbacks in his recovery slowed his return to the field.
The knee issue again sidelined Wright during the team’s loss to the Los Angeles Rams and kept him out of the Thursday night victory over the Green Bay Packers.
“He’s still working to get back,” head coach Pete Carroll said Tuesday.
Barkevious Mingo started in place of Wright against the Packers before being replaced after just one defensive series by Austin Calitro. Calitro also replaced rookie Shaquem Griffin in the team’s opener against Denver.
Mychal Kendricks was then signed and started the next three games for Seattle before the league imposed an eight-game suspension for a guilty plea in an insider-trading case. While Kendricks returned to practice Tuesday, he’s ineligible to play for another two weeks while serving the final stretch of his suspension.
Meanwhile, it’s uncertain whether just rest and rehab will be enough to get Wright back on the field in the coming weeks.
“We’re going to find out. We don’t know,” Carroll said.
The Seahawks are going with Calitro this week for their matchup against the Carolina Panthers. The undrafted rookie has started three of 10 games played for Seattle this year in relief of Wright, with 22 tackles, a pass defended and a half sack of Aaron Rodgers last Thursday against the Packers.
“We’re gaining experience as we go,” Carroll said. “Austin has done a nice job when he’s had his chances. He’s still a young player so there’s stuff to learn and all but he’s done a nice job, particularly in the physical side of hitting and tackling and all.”
Calitro will likely keep the gig until either Wright or Kendricks are able to return.
“We just have to understand it’s kind of a next man up,” middle linebacker Bobby Wagner said. “Everybody kind of knows I trust everybody that’s been in the position. Austin is in it right now. We have a lot of confidence in him.”
Kendricks is eligible to play against the Minnesota Vikings on Dec. 10.
“It’s great for Mychal in particular;” Carroll said of having Kendricks back at practice. “He needs to get going and doing some stuff that’s positive and all of that. He had a really good experience with us before. We loved him playing for us.”
Notes: RB J.D. McKissic was designated to return from injured reserve and returned to practice Tuesday. McKissic injured his foot in the preseason and was placed on injured reserve following roster cuts in early September.
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