Tag: knee

Panthers OT Ikem Ekwonu tears patellar tendon, faces surgery

Posted on | by Field Level Media

Carolina Panthers offensive tackle Ikem Ekwonu tore his right patellar tendon in Saturday’s NFC wild-card loss to the Los Angeles Rams and will undergo surgery, head coach Dave Canales said Sunday.

His outlook for the start of the 2026 season wasn’t clear immediately.

Ekwonu, 25, played just eight snaps before the knee injury on Saturday.

“We’ll give you more of an update,” Canales said after the game. “They’ve got to do all the MRIs and all that stuff, but I think it’s a significant injury, and something that we’re going to have to go into the offseason with.”

The Panthers selected Ekwonu with the No. 6 overall pick of the 2022 NFL Draft from North Carolina State. The Panthers picked up his $17.6 million fifth-year team option for the 2026 season, and the injury puts a long-term extension in question.

In his four seasons with Carolina, Ekwonu has appeared in 64 games (all starts) and played nearly 100% of offensive snap counts. He has two fumble recoveries.

–Field Level Media

Cowboys activate CB Trevon Diggs from IR

Posted on | by Field Level Media

The Cowboys activated cornerback Trevon Diggs from injured reserve Saturday, making him available to play for the first time in more than two months when Dallas hosts the Los Angeles Chargers on Sunday.

In a corresponding move, cornerback DaRon Bland, who is expected to have surgery on his left foot, was placed on injured reserve.

Diggs has been out since the Cowboys’ Week 6 loss to the Carolina Panthers. At some point later that week, Diggs sustained a concussion in an “accident at his home.” Head coach Brian Schottenheimer and owner Jerry Jones have not shared details of the incident or described how Diggs was injured.

On Oct. 25, Diggs was placed on IR to help strengthen a right knee problem.

Diggs said last week he expected to play in what was ultimately a 34-26 loss to the Minnesota Vikings on Dec. 14, but Schottenheimer held him out, saying the Cowboys first wanted to see consistency in “everything” from Diggs.

Schottenheimer seemed more pleased with Diggs’ progress when talking to reporters Friday.

“I’ll say this, when you look at Trevon this week, what I’ve loved the most about him is he’s having fun playing football,” Schottenheimer said. “He’s smiling, running around, but he’s, to his credit, he’s having a really good week.”

The 27-year-old Diggs has 18 tackles in six games (four starts) this season.

He was activated from the physically unable to perform list in August after missing the final six games last season with a left knee injury. The two-time Pro Bowl selection previously sustained a torn ACL in practice two games into the 2023 campaign.

In 64 games (61 starts) since Dallas drafted Diggs in the second round in 2020, he has recorded 20 interceptions, 63 passes defensed, 233 tackles, one sack and two forced fumbles. He was named first-team All-Pro in 2021, when he led the league with 11 interceptions and returned two of them for touchdowns.

–Field Level Media

Nov 16, 2025; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Cleveland Browns quarterback Shedeur Sanders (12) is sacked by Baltimore Ravens linebacker Teddye Buchanan (40) during the fourth quarter at Huntington Bank Field. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-Imagn Images

Ravens LB Teddye Buchanan (knee) out vs. Bengals

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Baltimore Ravens standout rookie linebacker Teddye Buchanan suffered a knee injury Sunday afternoon while covering a punt against the Cincinnati Bengals. The the team declared him out for the remainder of the game in Cincinnati.

Buchanan immediately grabbed his right knee as he crumbled to the ground as the Ravens punted in the final minute of the first quarter. He was helped to the sidelines, then carted off to the locker room.

A 2025 fourth-round draft pick from Cal, Buchanan took over a starting inside linebacker role in the second week of the season. He was named NFL Defensive Rookie of the Month in October, highlighted by a 15-tackle performance vs. Houston on Oct. 5.

Coming into play this week, Buchanan was second on the club with 91 total tackles. He has five tackles for loss, one forced fumble and 0.5 sacks.

Buchanan made a pair of stops in the Bengals’ first drive of the game.

–Field Level Media

Sep 28, 2025; Tampa, Florida, USA; Philadelphia Eagles running back Saquon Barkley (26) runs with the ball during the third quarter against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Raymond James Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images

Eagles RB Saquon Barkley appears on injury report with knee issue

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Philadelphia Eagles running back Saquon Barkley appeared on the team’s estimated injury report Monday, sitting out with a knee injury.

NFL Network reported that Barkley was feeling “general soreness” after the Eagles’ loss to the Denver Broncos on Sunday, but he expects to play this Thursday against the division rival New York Giants.

Barkley had season lows of six attempts and 30 rushing yards against Denver, but he caught three passes for a season-best 58 yards and a touchdown. He played 72.1 percent of the Eagles’ offensive snaps.

Barkley, 28, is coming off a dream first season in Philadelphia in which he rushed for 2,005 yards — the ninth 2,000-yard season in league history — and played a key role in the Eagles beating the Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl LIX. He also finished third in the Associated Press’ Most Valuable Player balloting.

He has 267 yards and three touchdowns on the ground through five games this season.

Also listed as “DNP” on the Eagles’ report Monday were left guard Landon Dickerson, who left Sunday early with his lingering ankle injury, and tight end Grant Calcaterra (oblique). Linebacker Jihaad Campbell (biceps) and defensive tackle Byron Young (triceps) were limited.

–Field Level Media

Jul 28, 2025; Foxborough, MA, USA; New England Patriots wide receiver Stefon Diggs (8) runs after the catch during training camp at Gillette Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Eric Canha-Imagn Images

Pats say WR Stefon Diggs (ACL) is ‘ahead of schedule’

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New England Patriots wide receiver Stefon Diggs is “ahead of schedule” in his return from a torn ACL, executive vice president of player personnel Eliot Wolf said Monday.

Diggs began training camp last month with no restrictions after receiving medical clearance, but he has yet to appear in a preseason game.

“Stefon has done everything we’ve asked,” Wolf said. “He’s been attentive in meetings. He’s been good on the field. He had two really good practices in Minnesota. He’s ahead of schedule, injury-wise.”

Diggs has been cleared for contact, but Wolf did not say whether the four-time Pro Bowl selection will be active for Thursday’s preseason finale against the host New York Giants.

Diggs told reporters last week “we’ll see” when asked about his availability for the Sept. 7 season opener against the visiting Las Vegas Raiders.

Diggs signed a three-year, $63.5 million contract with the Patriots in March.

Playing for the Houston Texans last season, he caught 47 passes in eight games before sustaining the season-ending knee injury on Oct. 27 against the Indianapolis Colts.

Diggs, 31, has 857 career catches for 10,491 yards and 70 touchdowns in 144 regular-season games (136 starts) with the Minnesota Vikings (2015-19), Buffalo Bills (2020-23) and Texans. He also owns 69 receptions for 909 yards and four touchdowns in 14 postseason games.

–Field Level Media

Indianapolis Colts kicker Spencer Shrader (3) kicks a field goal in the fourth quarter of the NFL preseason game at Paycor Stadium in Cincinnati on Thursday, Aug. 22, 2024.

Chiefs pluck untested Spencer Shrader from Jets, place PK Harrison Butker (knee) on IR

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Harrison Butker landed on injured reserve with a left knee injury, forcing the undefeated Kansas City Chiefs to sign a replacement, Spencer Shrader, off the Jets’ practice squad on Thursday.

Butker won’t be on the field when the Chiefs (9-0) visit the Buffalo Bills (8-2) on Sunday trying to win an 16th consecutive game dating to last season.

Eighth among NFL kickers in points with 75 this season, Butker connected on 18 of 20 field-goal attempts and 21 of 22 extra points. Both of the missed field goals were on tries beyond 50 yards.

Butker’s career 89.21 field-goal percentage ranks third in NFL history.

The Chiefs have won seven of nine games by a one-possession margin in 2024. Their last visit to Buffalo was a 27-24 nail-biter win in last seasons’s AFC Divisional Playoffs, and the regular-season meeting with the Bills was a 20-17 loss. The Chiefs also dropped a 24-20 decision to the Bills in the 2022 regular season.

A 25-year-old rookie from Notre Dame, Shrader connected on both of his field-goal attempts for the Jets last week at Arizona. He joined the Jets after being released by the Indianapolis Colts, who used Shrader in Week 1 for three successful PATs as the injury replacement for placekicker Matt Gay.

He entered the NFL as an undrafted free agent and played college football only after first pursuing a pro soccer career. He enrolled at USF in 2019 and was the primary kicker for four seasons. As a graduate transfer in 2023, Shrader had four 50-yard field goals for the Fighting Irish.

Butker, 29, signed a self-negotiated four-year, $25.6 million extension in August that made him the highest-paid kicker in the NFL.

Butker set the Super Bowl record for longest field goal during the Chiefs’ 25-22 overtime win over the San Francisco 49ers in Super Bowl LVIII earlier this year. Butker’s 57-yard field goal with 5:01 left in the third quarter supplanted the previous record that had been set just one quarter earlier by 49ers rookie Jake Moody, who kicked a 55-yarder to give San Francisco an early 3-0 lead.

Originally drafted out of Georgia Tech by the Carolina Panthers in the seventh round of the 2017 NFL Draft, Butker has played all seven of his NFL seasons with the Chiefs.

Shrader participated in the Colts’ 2024 offseason program and training camp after originally signing with the team as an undrafted free agent.

–Field Level Media

Sep 6, 2024; Sao Paulo, BRA; Green Bay Packers quarterback Jordan Love (10) is assisted off the field after an injury during the second half against the Philadelphia Eagles at Neo Quimica Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Report: Packers QB Jordan Love (knee) hopeful of Week 5 return

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Green Bay Packers quarterback Jordan Love has circled Oct. 6 as his target date to return from his MCL sprain, NFL Network reported Sunday.

That would put his return in Week 5 against the Los Angeles Rams in his native California.

Love was helped off the field with six seconds left in the 34-29 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles on Sept. 6. Love went 17-for-34 passing for 260 yards, two touchdowns and one interception in that game.

Malik Willis, acquired from the Tennessee Titans last month, will start for the Packers (0-1) on Sunday against the Indianapolis Colts (0-1) in Green Bay. Sean Clifford, elevated from the practice squad on Saturday, will be his backup.

–Field Level Media

Sep 14, 2024; Madison, Wisconsin, USA; Wisconsin Badgers quarterback Tyler Van Dyke (10) throws a pass during the first quarter against the Alabama Crimson Tide at Camp Randall Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Hanisch-Imagn Images

Wisconsin QB Tyler Van Dyke hurt on opening drive against Alabama

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Wisconsin starting quarterback Tyler Van Dyke was carted off the field after being injured on the opening drive against No. 4 Alabama on Saturday in Madison, Wis.

Van Dyke, a redshirt senior transfer from Miami, was hurt on a third-down scramble and appeared to injure his right leg. He was replaced by sophomore Braedyn Locke, who started three games last season in place of injured Tanner Mordecai.

Van Dyke completed 38 of 63 passes (60.3 percent) for 406 yards with one touchdown and no interceptions in Wisconsin’s first two victories over Western Michigan and South Dakota.

The extent of Van Dyke’s injury has not been announced.

–Field Level Media

Sep 6, 2024; Sao Paulo, BRA; Green Bay Packers quarterback Jordan Love (10) drops to throw during the second half against the Philadelphia Eagles at Neo Quimica Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Packers say QB Jordan Love (knee) questionable despite no practice

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Green Bay Packers fans weren’t expecting Jordan Love to play in Week 2, but then the injury report came out.

Love suffered a sprained MCL in his left knee in Green Bay’s Week 1 loss in Brazil and did not practice this week. Yet on Friday, he received a “questionable” designation for Sunday’s home game against the Indianapolis Colts, rather than being ruled out.

Packers coach Matt LaFleur said the quarterback has not yet been medically cleared to play.

“He’s doing good,” LaFleur told reporters. “He’s got a great attitude and is working hard and getting better every day.”

LaFleur had previously said the Packers would not place Love on injured reserve as they went “day to day” with his evaluation.

It’s been one week since Love’s injury. He was helped off the field with six seconds left in the 34-29 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles Sept. 6. Love went 17-for-34 passing for 260 yards, two touchdowns and one interception in that game.

Malik Willis was elevated to the starting role until Love’s return. Willis was acquired from the Tennessee Titans last month and was the No. 2 quarterback behind Love entering Week 1.

The Packers added wide receiver Jayden Reed (calf/shin) to the injury report Friday, marking him questionable. Running back MarShawn Lloyd (hamstring) is also questionable.

–Field Level Media

Oct 8, 2023; Glendale, Arizona, United States; Arizona Cardinals running back James Conner (6) stiff arms Cincinnati Bengals defensive end Sam Hubbard (94) at State Farm Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Joe Rondone-USA TODAY Sports

Cardinals RB James Conner (knee) questionable to return

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Arizona Cardinals running back James Conner injured his knee in the second quarter of Sunday’s game against the visiting Cincinnati Bengals.

Conner is questionable to return. He went to the medical tent on the sideline and then headed to the locker room.

Conner, 28, who ran for 46 yards on six carries before the injury, entered Sunday with a team-leading 318 rushing yards and two touchdowns.

–Field Level Media