The NFL preseason has started, and receivers and quarterbacks are already rapidly falling short. A lot of injury reports are coming from the NFC part of the league while AFC has also suffered some significant setbacks. JJ McCarthy, Christian McCaffrey, Hollywood Brown, and Jahmyr Gibbs are perhaps some of the most notable names.
Adam Schefter just released a list of battered and bruised players throughout the league. The injury list contains a quarterback, four receivers, and two running backs. Let us look at the list and understand it more in-depth.
Schefter’s post on X said, “In recent days, injuries have impacted some notable players:
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Lions RB Jahmyr Gibbs, hamstring
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Vikings QB J.J. McCarthy, knee
Giants WR Malik Nabers, ankle
Chiefs WR Marquise “Hollywood” Brown, sternoclavicular joint
Falcons WR Rondale Moore, knee
Colts WR Josh Downs, ankle
49ers RB Christian McCaffrey, calf.” After lighting up the Las Vegas Raiders defense and throwing two absolutely beautiful dimes in his preseason debut, the Vikings rookie quarterback JJ McCarthy has found himself battling with a classic case of knee soreness.
HC Kevin O’Connell has been cautiously optimistic, but the Vikings rookie is slated to miss out on night practice and also sit out the joint training with the Cleveland Browns. “Out of precaution,” O’Connell said Monday, “we’re going to continue an evaluation on him and get some more testing done. [He is a] very important player, obviously, so we want to make sure we’re smart before he participates, making sure we have a good understanding of where he’s at.”
McCarthy put up 188 yards and 2 touchdowns and went 11 for 17 against the Raiders. For now, Sam Darnold is slated to be the QB1 for the team while Nick Mullens and Jaren Hall will be his backups. This brings us to the Vikings’ divisional rivals, the Detroit Lions, and their RB Jahmyr Gibbs.
Gibbs suffered a hamstring injury during Monday’s night practice. His leg was being evaluated, however, we’re not sure in what play he got injured. This might deter his dreams of becoming the 4 NFL player with 1k receiving and rushing yards in the same season. But those aren’t the only complications.
One of the most prominent injuries came in the Chiefs-Jaguars preseason game when Marquise “Hollywood” Brown suffered a sternoclavicular joint injury and dislocated his shoulder. He’s slated to miss at least three weeks before he steps foot on the field. However, for Chiefs fans, there’s something that they can rejoice about. Andy Reid confirmed that Brown will not have to go through a surgical procedure to fix his shoulder.
“They were able to get the joint back into place without surgery, which is a positive,” said Reid. “Then we’ll just see on the recovery. He is back in Kansas City now. He stayed over in Jacksonville until they got that thing situated.”
Apart from these injuries, receiver Malik Nabers (ankle), Rondale Moore (knee), and Josh Downs (ankle) will be on bed rest for a while. But despite all the setbacks in the NFC, they finally have something to rejoice about as Christian McCaffrey is planning his return.
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Christian McCaffrey is about to set the NFC ablaze again
Only good news here. CMC’s injury rehab has been coming along well. McCaffrey strained his calf during training camp and is supposed to sit out for the NFL preseason games entirely. However, he spoke to Sirius XM’s Amber Theoharis that his rehab is going well and he’s just waiting for the regular season to start.
USA Today via Reuters Jan 28, 2024; Santa Clara, California, USA; San Francisco 49ers running back Christian McCaffrey (23) stiff arms Detroit Lions safety C.J. Gardner-Johnson (2) during the first half of the NFC Championship football game at Levi’s Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports
“Yeah, I feel great,” McCaffrey said. “Very cautionary stuff. If we had a game I would play, but just trying to be smart right now. Still training, still getting a bunch of work in, so come Week 1, I’ll be ready to roll.”
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The San Francisco 49ers need him badly because they don’t know if or when Brandon Aiyuk will show up. His contract complications have given the Niners a lot to think about. Well, as long as CMC is in their arsenal, they might have no trouble steering clear of any offense-related issues. As it happens, other Niners RBs Isaac Guerendo and Elijah Mitchell are also injured, and the team will rely on Jordan Mason for the preseason games.