NFL training camp injury tracker: Micah Parsons, Marlon Mack, more

news7g08/15/2023

5 7 minutes read

NFL training camp injury tracker: Micah Parsons, Marlon Mack, more

One of the downsides of NFL training camps getting underway is that injuries start piling up as teams head back onto the practice field.

The first few days of full-fledged camps have already seen Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow go down with a calf strain, while the Indianapolis Colts and the Seattle Seahawks have suddenly taken hits to their running back depth — a serious issue for Indianapolis, as it continues to sort through a messy contract situation with star Jonathan Taylor.

[NFL training camp roundup: Saquon Barkley shows heart, Travis Kelce throws punch, more]

Here is the latest on various injury news around the league.

Cowboys LB Micah Parsons (lower leg)

Parsons left Dallas’ practice with a lower leg injury Tuesday. He got it taped and returned to the sidelines with his team, but didn’t continue practicing.

Parsons said he was kicked in the leg by a teammate. He was seen limping after practice, and said he’d get his leg checked out, but added that he “wasn’t worried about it.”

Bears WR Chase Claypool (hamstring)

Claypool reportedly had to leave practice early on Aug. 9 due to a non-contact hamstring injury. The former Steelers wideout was running a route against Bears cornerback Jaylon Jones when he pulled up and grabbed his hamstring.

Claypool started training camp on the Physically Unable to Perform (PUP) list but was removed only a day later.

Seahawks CB Devon Witherspoon (hamstring)

The No. 5 overall pick in this year’s draft left practice early on Aug. 7 with a hamstring injury in his left leg. Witherspoon had dealt with the same injury before camp, but head coach Pete Carroll said this one is in a different spot but “doesn’t seem serious.”

As a precaution, however, Witherspoon will not play in the Seahawks’ preseason opener on Aug. 10. No word yet on when he will return to practice.

Cardinals RB Marlon Mack (leg)

Mack suffered a left Achilles tendon injury in practice on Aug. 8. The 27-year-old running back was signed by the Cardinals earlier in the week. Head coach Jonathan Gannon confirmed that the injury will sideline Mack for the season.

Rams WR Cooper Kupp (hamstring)

Kupp left practice on Aug. 1 with a hamstring injury. He underwent an MRI and could miss a few weeks, per ESPN.

“It’s really day-to-day,” Rams coach Sean McVay said on Aug. 6, per Sports Illustrated. “He just felt a little tweak. It was a red-zone route, just felt a little tightness in his hamstring. I don’t think it’s anything to be overly concerned with.

“It’s not something that we expect to drag on,” McVay added, “but you never know with the soft tissue stuff. … We want to be able to be smart with him, and I’m hopeful to get him back out here sooner than later.”

Kupp, 30, previously missed the final eight games of the 2022-23 season with a high ankle sprain.

Falcons CB Jeff Okudah (ankle)

Okudah was carted off the practice field on Aug. 4 after suffering a leg injury during a 1-on-1 drill.

Head coach Arthur Smith said the following day that the team received “very positive news” after Okudah’s MRI.

“You just never know,” Smith said, per ESPN. “We expect he [has] got a great chance to be back in the really early part of the season. I just can’t give you whether that’s Week 1, 2 [or] 3, but we feel really good for Jeff. All things considered.”

Bengals QB Joe Burrow (calf)

Burrow will take “several weeks” to recover from a calf strain, per head coach Zac Taylor. The 26-year-old star QB was carted off the practice field after suffering the non-contact injury on July 27.

Burrow hobbled on one leg and then went to the ground after a scramble play during an 11-on-11 drill. He returned to practice on Aug. 9 but only to watch from the sidelines.

Bengals superstar wideout Ja’Marr Chase recently raised eyebrows when asked about Burrow’s return, saying that he “100 percent” wants Burrow to sit out of Cincinnati’s season opener in order to rest his injured calf.

“I just want him to be 100 percent healthy to play,” said Chase, who compared Burrow’s injury to his own hip issue from last season. “I don’t want him rushing [anything]. I don’t want people in his ear telling him to play at a certain time.”

Broncos WR Tim Patrick (leg)

Patrick was participating in a 7-on-7 drill in full pads for the first time on July 31 when his left leg buckled as he pushed off to run a route and was promptly carted off the field.

It was confirmed on Aug. 1 that Patrick torn his Achilles tendon. This marks the second straight year that the 29-year-old has suffered a season-ending injury during training camp after having torn his ACL in a non-contact drill last offseason.

“Of course, he’s disappointed,” head coach Sean Payton said. “I think the hard thing … is for a player to spend most of his offseason rehabbing, and then all of a sudden hit another roadblock. … He’s tough-minded, and he’s a really good leader. The good news is it’s a clean injury and there’s a better than likely 100% recovery. It’s pretty clean, relative to the type of surgery he’s going to have. I don’t have a date yet as to when that will take place, but that’s where we are at there.”

Dolphins CB Jalen Ramsey (knee)

The Dolphins’ star cornerback went down with a knee injury during a training camp session on July 27 and was carted off the field after a collision with wide receiver Tyreek Hill, according to reporters at Miami’s practice.

The injury required surgery — Ramsey underwent a full meniscus repair the next day — that will knock the star veteran out for much of the upcoming 2023-24 season. He’s expected to be sidelined until at least December, per CBS Sports.

Head coach Mike McDaniel confirmed that no additional damage was found beyond the torn meniscus, per CBS’ report.

Jaguars WR Calvin Ridley (toe)

Ridley left practice on Aug. 1 with a sore toe. Luckily, it seems that this has turned into a non-issue for the most part.

Ridley revealed to reporters on Aug. 3 that he was training during the offseason with one style of cleat and switched to another at the start of camp. He has since switched back to the initial cleat, solving some of the issues with his toe.

Ridley is returning to the game after nearly two years. He missed time in 2021 to focus on his mental health, and he was suspended last season for violating the NFL’s gambling policy.

The Jags traded for Ridley last October and expect him to form a dynamic duo with QB Trevor Lawrence in 2023.

Raiders QB Jimmy Garoppolo (foot)

Garoppolo left practice early on Aug. 2 as he continues to heal from offseason surgery on his left foot, which he broke last season while playing for the 49ers. There is a definite plan for the veteran QB, who practiced for three straight days before being given time off, according to head coach Josh McDaniels.

Although Garoppolo has a history of injuries (a season-ending knee injury in 2018 and an ankle injury in 2020), he went 38-17 as a starter with San Francisco and led the team to two NFC Championship Games and one Super Bowl.

Chiefs WR Kadarius Toney (knee)

Toney suffered a knee injury at the Chiefs’ opening practice on July 23 while receiving punts during warmups. Head coach Andy Reid revealed that Toney had suffered a torn meniscus and underwent surgery on July 25 for a partially torn meniscus in his knee, which is the same knee Toney previously had surgery on while with the New York Giants.

Lions DB C.J. Gardner-Johnson (leg)

Gardner-Johnson is reportedly day-to-day after suffering a right leg injury during a training-camp practice on July 24. Luckily, an MRI on his right knee reportedly showed no structural damage after he needed to be carted off the field.

The 25-year-old safety and the rest of the team were “relieved” the injury wasn’t worse following Monday’s practice, according to FOX Sports‘ Carmen Vitali.

Colts RB Zack Moss (arm)

Moss, who was acquired from the Buffalo Bills in a midseason trade last year, suffered a broken arm at practice on July 31 and is expected to miss the rest of training camp, per NFL Network. With Jonathan Taylor‘s future in Indianapolis uncertain after the star Colts ball-carrier formally requested a trade, which prompting a war of words with team owner Jim Irsay, third-year back Deon Jackson tentatively sits atop the Colts’ depth chart at the position for now.

Seahawks RBs Kenny McIntosh (knee), Kenneth Walker III (groin) and Zach Charbonnet (shoulder)

Rookie running back McIntosh suffered a sprained knee in the team’s mock game on Aug. 5.

Meanwhile, Seattle’s top two running backs are currently sitting out with a groin strain and shoulder discomfort, respectively. Walker, the second-year man out of Michigan State looking to build upon a breakout rookie season, is considered week-to-week with his groin injury, but Seahawks coach Pete Carroll said that the team is being “cautious” and the injury is “not terrible,” according to ESPN. The status of Charbonnet, a rookie out of UCLA, is unclear.

Cowboys S Donovan Wilson (calf)

Dallas’ starting safety suffered a right calf strain during the Cowboys’ opening practice on July 26. Wilson, who was recently re-signed on a three-year, $21 million extension with $13.5 million guaranteed, is expected to miss four to six weeks, per multiple reports. Six-year veteran Malik Hooker will likely take Wilson’s place if he isn’t ready to go Week 1.

Saints G Trai Turner (quadriceps)

The former Pro Bowl guard will likely miss the entire 2023-24 season with a torn quadriceps injury suffered during the Saints’ third day of training camp, a source told ESPN. Turner, who recently signed with the Saints less than a week before his injury, went down during individual drills and was carted off the field.

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