As practices start to ramp up leading into the preseason, injuries are starting to rear their ugly heads. Here are a few rumors on injuries we’ve seen so far:
- It appears that Buccaneers wide receiver Mike Evans has suffered a minor hamstring injury, according to Jenna Laine of ESPN. Laine reports that, despite a history of nagging hamstring issues, this minor injury will be no threat to Evans’ Week 1 status. Hamstring injuries caused Evans to miss a game last season and forced him to injured reserve in Week 14 of the 2019 season. Evans has shown incredible resiliency, as the 13 games played in 2019 were the least he’s ever played in a season. He’s had a strong history of never letting injuries keep him out for long and never keeping him from reaching the 1,000-yard receiving mark.
- Wide receiver Byron Pringle joined the Bears after a bit of a breakout season with the Chiefs last year. Chicago head coach Matt Eberflus told reporters that, unfortunately, Pringle’s debut with the Bears may be a little delayed, according to Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune. The fourth-year receiver out of Kansas State suffered a quad injury that Eberflus says will cause him to “be out for some time.” Pringle’s only history with injuries in the NFL came two years ago when he spent three weeks on injured reserve with an ankle injury.
- One of the Ravens’ two first-round picks, center Tyler Linderbaum suffered a lower leg injury this week that should hold him out for a short time, according to ESPN’s Jamison Hensley. “It’s not a serious thing,” head coach John Harbaugh explained after Friday’s practice. “It’s going to be probably at least a week…It could be two weeks. We’ll see.” Linderbaum, the first ever center that Baltimore has utilized a first-round pick on, is expected to take the starting job as a rookie and will play a large role in a comeback season for a Ravens team that saw their 2020 season derailed by a litany of season-ending injuries.
- While trying to cover wide receiver Amari Rodgers in one-on-ones yesterday, Packers safety Darnell Savage suffered a hamstring injury and was forced to sit out the rest of practice, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN. Savage downplayed the severity of the injury when talking to reporters. “I don’t think it’s a concern,” Savage said. “It’s a fast-people injury. Some of those things you can’t avoid. I’ll just handle it the right way…and I’ll be alright.”
- Giants fifth-round pick Marcus McKethan suffered an ACL injury yesterday and will be out for his entire rookie season, according to Field Yates of ESPN. The offensive guard out of North Carolina was a reserve depth piece on New York’s line and was not expected to have much of an impact during his first NFL season, but a season-ending injury to any of a team’s players is never good news.