Biggest Week 1 injury questions for all 32 NFL teams: Latest on OBJ, Thomas and more
Field Yates explains why Demaryius Thomas is the best non-Julian Edelman option for the Patriots. (0:49)
We’re ready for the 2019 NFL season to finally kick off, and for the most part teams are fully healthy. Find out who’s in question to suit up this weekend — and the latest on their prognoses — courtesy of NFL Nation:
Jump to:
ARI | ATL | BAL | BUF | CAR | CHI | CIN
CLE | DAL | DEN | DET | GB | HOU | IND
JAX | KC | LAC | LAR | MIA | MIN | NE
NO | NYG | NYJ | OAK | PHI | PIT | SF
SEA | TB | TEN | WSH
Will offensive tackle Ty Nsekhe (knee) and guard Quinton Spain (ankle) hold up against an aggressive Jets defense? Both projected starters are practicing in full after missing time at the end of the preseason, but their healed injuries will be put to the test against what should be an attacking defensive front seven. They both should play on Sunday; how often they’ll need to rotate out of the game is the question. — Marcel Louis-Jacques
Running back Kenyan Drake missed two weeks of practice with a right foot injury that had him in a walking boot, but coach Brian Flores said Drake is physically and mentally ready for Week 1. Drake participated in practice on Wednesday and looked good in cutting drills. Drake was listed as the starting running back in the Dolphins’ Week 1 depth chart, and Flores said he is “looking forward to getting him a lot of touches this week.” — Cameron Wolfe
Wide receiver Demaryius Thomas has been limited in practice with a hamstring injury, while top tight end Matt LaCosse (ankle) also isn’t practicing in full. With receiver Josh Gordon still working himself into top playing condition, Thomas projects to help assume some of the receiver load, if healthy. Julian Edelman and Gordon are the top receivers, with Phillip Dorsett also likely to play a notable role. Then it is Thomas and undrafted free agents Jakobi Meyers and Gunner Olszewski. — Mike Reiss
The Jets will never be healthier than they are right now. Starting cornerback Trumaine Johnson, who missed most of the preseason with a hamstring injury, is practicing and expected to play. His overall conditioning is in question because he missed four weeks; that bears watching. Wide receiver Robby Anderson, who tweaked a calf muscle last week, also should be ready to go. — Rich Cimini
There’s one choice here: cornerback Brandon Carr. He is the only player listed on the Ravens’ injury report. All 53 players participated in Wednesday’s practice. Carr, who has a hip injury, was limited. But there really isn’t much concern about Carr, the iron man of NFL defenders. He has started every game in his 11-year career. His streak of 176 starts currently ranks behind only Philip Rivers (208) league-wide. — Jamison Hensley
Bengals starting left tackle Cordy Glenn still is dealing with concussion-like symptoms, which doesn’t bode well for the opener at Seattle. If Glenn is out, that means his backup, Andre Smith, will have to contend with a revamped Seahawks defensive line that just added Jadeveon Clowney. Clowney and fellow defensive end Ezekiel Ansah could give Cincy’s tackles a ton of problems. — Ben Baby
Wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. didn’t play in the preseason while battling a nagging hip injury. But last week, he returned to full practice activities, and Browns coach Freddie Kitchens said Wednesday that OBJ “will be ready to go” Sunday against Tennessee. — Jake Trotter
Safety Sean Davis (ankle), the lone player on the Steelers’ injury report on Wednesday, eyes a Week 1 return but must show significant progress during Thursday and Friday practices to have a chance. Davis plays a key role as a free safety in base defense and a linebacker in certain sub packages, so getting him back will help keep safety mates Terrell Edmunds and Kameron Kelly fresh. — Jeremy Fowler
Bill O’Brien said he isn’t hopeful that wide receiver Keke Coutee will play on Monday night against the Saints. Coutee injured his ankle in the preseason opener and missed most of training camp, but he is “trending in the right direction,” according to O’Brien. If Coutee doesn’t play, DeAndre Carter or Kenny Stills could see more time in the slot. — Sarah Barshop
The Colts are the healthiest they’ve been at any point going back to the start of training camp. Starting defensive end Jabaal Sheard (knee) is the only significant player on the team’s injury report. He has been our since early in training camp. He won’t play against the Chargers and general manager Chris Ballard recently said Sheard isn’t a candidate to go on injured reserve. Al-Quadin Muhammad has been working with the starting unit in Sheard’s absence. — Mike Wells
Quarterback Nick Foles is dealing with soreness in his oblique, but the team expects him to play on Sunday. Foles did not get injured in his only preseason action; the soreness is related to the amount of throwing he has done in camp. Coach Doug Marrone has had the starters take extra reps in practice to make up for them only playing for less than a half during the preseason. Expect the Jaguars to be careful with Foles so the injury doesn’t become a chronic problem. — Mike DiRocco
Right tackle Jack Conklin was listed on the injury report after not practicing on Wednesday. He is recovering from a knee injury that landed him on injured reserve last season and required a medical procedure during the offseason. — Turron Davenport
Mike Clay proclaims Emmanel Sanders is a, “fringe starter for now, until we see he is a full go” coming off of his Achilles injury last season.
Linebacker Todd Davis has not practiced since the first week of training camp when he suffered a calf injury. And while Davis was on the practice field on Wednesday, he participated in only some brief stretching and did not take part in any individual or team drills. Broncos coach Vic Fangio said after practice that Davis was “still questionable.” Davis had been the team’s three-down linebacker in offseason workouts — the guy who went from the base defense and stayed in the lineup when they went to the nickel or dime look — but in his absence, rookie Justin Hollins, Alexander Johnson and Josey Jewell have all been used inside in practices. The Broncos figure to be in the nickel the majority of the time on Monday night if the Raiders give Denver a heavy dose of three-receiver sets. But for the nickel LB to be Davis, he will have to improve significantly before the week is out. Once he is on the field, he still has some ground to make up since he hasn’t practiced with the defense since July. — Jeff Legwold
The Chiefs should have all 53 players available to them on Sunday, but one injury to watch is that of safety Tyrann Mathieu. He hurt his shoulder in an early preseason game and played only a handful of snaps in the exhibition season. Mathieu will start on Sunday, but it will be intriguing to see how he holds up. — Adam Teicher
The Chargers placed All-Pro safety Derwin James on the injured reserve list this week after recently having surgery to repair a stress fracture in his right foot. James is expected to be out until at least November. Adrian Phillips will start at strong safety with James out, bringing a solid, veteran presence to the starting lineup. However, the Chargers will miss the playmaking ability of James. “No one is flinching,” Chargers head coach Anthony Lynn said. “We’re going to miss him; I can tell you that. We’re going to miss him, but we’re ready to play without him.” — Eric D. Williams
Offensive lineman Denzelle Good was expected to miss the first two months of the season after undergoing offseason back surgery. Instead, he is in line to start at right guard for the injured Gabe Jackson in Monday night’s season opener — so long as his back cooperates. “He’s doing great,” Raiders coach Jon Gruden said this week of Good, who did not play a single snap in the preseason. “It’ll be a fun game. When you watch Denver play in the preseason, you don’t see some of their players very much. When they watch our preseason tape, they probably aren’t going to see some of the guys that are going to play against them very much. It’ll be a real fun, interesting Monday night game.” — Paul Gutierrez
Matthew Berry breaks down what Ezekiel Elliott’s contract resolution with the Cowboys means for fantasy managers.
Running back Ezekiel Elliott was not on the injury report after his first practice with the Cowboys following a summer holdout, but he said he felt good after the workout and could handle whatever workload the Cowboys give him. A benefit to Elliott would be a healthy Amari Cooper, who went through a full practice for the first time since injuring his heel in the first week of August and expects to be full-go for Sunday against the Giants. Guard Zack Martin also was limited for most of his time in training camp because of a back injury, but the expectation is he will play against the Giants. — Todd Archer
The Giants are relatively healthy, with right tackle Mike Remmers (illness/back) as the only starter in jeopardy for Sunday versus the Cowboys. Pat Shurmur didn’t even mention Remmers during his Wednesday news conference before practice, but the coach did say this: “If there’s a big injury or something, we’ll talk about it. But if there’s a guy that’s going to end up being out there on Sunday, I won’t mess it with it too much.” Remmers likely falls into the latter category, which is vital considering he will be matched against Dallas’ Pro Bowl end DeMarcus Lawrence. — Jordan Raanan
Wide receiver DeSean Jackson has been wearing extra protection around his broken left ring finger during practice this week, but he is on target to play against Washington. That the injury is on his non-dominant hand should help to make catching the football a bit easier than if it were on the right hand. Defensive tackle Fletcher Cox (foot) and right guard Brandon Brooks, who is just eight months removed from an Achilles tendon rupture, also intend to play. Brooks’ backup Halapoulivaati Vaitai is waiting in the wings in the event the team changes course or Brooks needs a breather. — Tim McManus
Tight end Jordan Reed remains in the concussion protocol, but he was able to participate in meetings as well as individual work. That’s the first time Reed has done so since suffering the concussion in the third preseason game. The Redskins have been optimistic he’ll play versus Philadelphia on Sunday, but until he is cleared, their fingers will be crossed; winning on the road will be tough without Reed. “He’s an elite player,” Redskins coach Jay Gruden said. “He changes the game considerably for us.” — John Keim
The Bears list tight end Trey Burton (groin strain) as a game-time decision after he practiced all week on a limited basis. Chicago claims Burton’s latest groin injury is unrelated to the sports hernia surgery he underwent in the offseason, but the setback is troubling nonetheless. “I feel like it is getting slightly better, but we’ll make that decision as we go,” Bears coach Matt Nagy said. “But it’ll end up being pretty much a game-time decision. and that’s all we can really do. We’re prepared both ways.” Look for tight ends Adam Shaheen and Ben Braunecker to play larger roles in the event Burton is inactive versus Green Bay. — Jeff Dickerson
The Lions didn’t have anyone completely sit out of Wednesday’s practice, but considering linebacker Jarrad Davis (ankle), defensive end Da’Shawn Hand (elbow) and cornerback Rashaan Melvin (knee) all did very little in individual drills during practice Tuesday or Wednesday, the status of those three key defensive players is going to be a major question mark. Detroit will rely more on Mike Daniels and Romeo Okwara if Hand can’t play, and it will likely look to Jalen Reeves-Maybin and perhaps Jahlani Tavai if Davis can’t go. The Lions have a lot of untested options if Melvin can’t play, so his potential absence would be the biggest concern. — Michael Rothstein
To celebrate 100 years of pro football, Peyton Manning travels the country to see the people and places that made the NFL the NFL.
Watch on ESPN+ » More »
The Packers would love to have their preferred cornerback duo of Jaire Alexander and Kevin King for every snap; but King missed more than a month of training camp and all four preseason games because of a hamstring injury, so they’re going to have to see how much he can handle. “We’re optimistic that we’ll be able to handle some of the workload, but I doubt it would be — for any player that’s had that period of inactivity — I doubt it will be a full game,” defensive coordinator Mike Pettine said. The other question is tight end Jimmy Graham, who sustained a finger injury late in training camp and has been practicing with two fingers on his right hand taped together. “He told me, ‘What finger? It’s game week,'” Packers coach Matt LaFleur said of Graham. — Rob Demovsky
Stefon Diggs missed Wednesday’s practice with a hamstring injury after making it through six weeks of the preseason without missing a beat. It could be that the Vikings want to exercise precaution with Diggs by holding him out, but the amount of work he gets on Thursday and Friday will be important in determining his availability for the Falcons game. Mike Hughes, who was removed from the physically unable to perform list last week, returned to practice in limited capacity for the first time since tearing his ACL in October. Though coach Mike Zimmer said the former first-round cornerback is “getting real close” to playing, the safe bet is to expect that Hughes will be sidelined until at least Week 3 or 4. Right tackle Brian O’Neill (elbow) and Linval Joseph (shoulder) were full participants after missing a majority of the preseason with injuries. Zimmer said he is expecting O’Neill to be able to play on Sunday. — Courtney Cronin
The only injury to pop up for the Falcons was that of tackle Matt Gono, who was limited Wednesday with a back injury. That’s significant because Gono is supposed to be competing with rookie Kaleb McGary for the starting role, with veteran Ty Sambrailo the other tackle option the Falcons have considered. The Falcons like Gono, but putting him out there with a bad back for his first NFL start probably wouldn’t wise against Danielle Hunter and the Vikings’ strong pass rush. And McGary still has to get his conditioning after missing several weeks following a heart procedure. — Vaughn McClure
Outside linebacker Bruce Irvin, signed as a free agent to help the Panthers transition to a 3-4 front, has missed the last week of practice with a hamstring injury. If he is unable to go, first-round pick Brian Burns would be elevated to a starter. Irvin declined to talk about his injury, but he didn’t appear too concerned. Burns said he is ready for whatever role he has to play this week. — David Newton
The Saints don’t have to issue their first practice report until Thursday, since they play Monday night. But coach Sean Payton said he expects linebacker Alex Anzalone to play. And it seems likely that tight end Jared Cook will too, since the Saints only kept two tight ends on the 53-man roster. The only player that we know for sure is out is defensive tackle Sheldon Rankins. That will be a problem area since his top backup, David Onyemata, is serving a one-game suspension. — Mike Triplett
Bucs defensive tackle Vita Vea returned to practice this week for the first time in a month after suffering a sprained lateral collateral ligament in his left knee. Vea plays a big role in in Todd Bowles’ defense as a space eater, rushing the passer and freeing up linebackers to attack. His presence also makes it very difficult to double-team Ndamukong Suh. But how much can Vea realistically play after missing so much time, assuming he does play? “The training room, they’ve been running me to the ground,” Vea said. “I feel good. I feel like I haven’t missed a step conditioning-wise. Everything’s just mental right now to get back into it.” — Jenna Laine
Field Yates names Jameis Winston as a Week 1 player to watch because he will match up really well against the 49ers’ defense.
Cardinals linebacker Haason Reddick has been slowly returning over the past week from July’s arthroscopic knee surgery. Coach Kliff Kingsbury said Reddick will “be out there” on Sunday against the Lions, but his snap count and role remain unknown. — Josh Weinfuss
In an effort to go into Week 1 of the season fresh and healthy, Rams coach Sean McVay did not play starters or key reserves throughout the preseason. The Rams will feature a healthy roster in its entirety against the Panthers. “Everyone’s good to go,” McVay confirmed. — Lindsey Thiry
Rookie defensive end Nick Bosa returned to practice on Monday for the first time since suffering an ankle sprain on Aug. 6. Afterward, Bosa sounded like a man determined to play on Sunday in Tampa: “I don’t think I’ve ever been as motivated in my life to get back,” Bosa said. “I’ve had my sights set on playing my first NFL season, and every waking hour was spent getting my ankle right.” Barring a setback, it looks like those efforts will pay off and the Niners will have the No. 2 overall pick for the opener. — Nick Wagoner
Rookie receiver DK Metcalf practiced Monday and Wednesday, but there’s still no definitive word on whether he’ll play on Sunday. The Seahawks’ opener against Cincinnati will be only 19 days from when he had what coach Pete Carroll described as “minimal” surgery on his knee, so Metcalf’s availability for that contest has been in question all along. Metcalf was running last week, but he will have only had one week of actual practice by Sunday, which is one fewer than the Seahawks typically prefer with players coming off injury absences. With David Moore still out, Metcalf’s absence would mean a bump up the depth chart for John Ursua and/or Gary Jennings. The two rookie receivers haven’t looked as NFL-ready as Metcalf, who was running with the starters before his surgery. — Brady Henderson