Maybe it’s time to bubble wrap everyone in the NFL for the next few weeks.
It’s not even the second week of the preseason and there have been a bunch of injuries. Some teams will be impacted in a significant way heading into the season by the injuries they’ve already taken on.
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Here are the 20 biggest injuries to monitor, ranked by the importance of that player to his team and also the severity of the injury and concerns over them heading into Week 1 and beyond:
Moore suffered an ankle injury in the preseason opener but it appears it’s not serious. The Bills are relying on him to be a true No. 1 for Josh Allen.
Jones ranks low because all signs point to him being ready for Week 1. But his return from a torn Achilles, and how effective he is early in the season, is huge for a Colts team that was rolling last season before Jones was injured.
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Bryant had knee surgery in early August and is expected to be out 4-to-6 months. In a best-case scenario one of the Bears’ key free-agent additions will be back in early December. But that’s not even assured. Chicago’s defense is a major question mark coming into the season and that injury doesn’t help.
Bresee is one of the best players on the Saints’ defense, and he’s out for the season with a torn ACL suffered in camp. There was positive momentum at the end of last season for the Saints, but losing Bresee hurts their chances of winning the NFC South.
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The reigning Super Bowl champs lost Kenneth Walker III in free agency and Charbonnet is still recovering from ACL surgery. Coach Mike Macdonald offered an optimistic outlook that Charbonnet has a shot to play in Week 1. The Seahawks drafted Jadarian Price in the first round to boost running back, and getting Charbonnet back early in the season would help the offense.
15. Eagles WR Makai Lemon
Rookie receivers can fall behind quickly due to injuries. Lemon, a first-round pick, missed most of OTAs and training camp due to hamstring injuries. He is a talented player but could have a tough time catching up.
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Monangai suffered a knee injury in practice and is week to week. Chicago got into a groove with Monangai and D’Andre Swift providing a good 1-2 punch at running back. The Bears will have to lean heavily on Swift early in the season is Monangai isn’t ready.
The Falcons signed Tua Tagovailoa as insurance if Penix wasn’t back for the opener, and Tagovailoa’s first preseason game didn’t go well. Penix still is limited to 7-on-7 work due to recovery from a torn ACL, which makes it tough to believe he’ll be ready for Week 1. The Falcons are in danger of falling behind early in the season.
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Walker, a 2025 first-round pick, tore his ACL during camp. The Falcons’ other 2025 first-round pick at edge rusher, James Pearce Jr., was suspended for eight games. Combine those losses and the Falcons’ quarterback issues, and new head coach Kevin Stefanski has a challenge in front of him.
Breece Hall of the New York Jets will miss the rest of preseason due to a groin injury. (3Photo by Rich Graessle/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
(Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
Hall will miss 2-to-3 weeks with a groin injury but is expected to be ready for the regular season, Jets coach Aaron Glenn said. Perhaps the Jets are being cautious with their top back, but we’ll have to keep an eye on the injury report before Week 1.
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10. Some key Panthers
The Panthers are without starting offensive tackles Ikem Ekwonu (torn patellar tendon) and Taylor Moton (blood clot), and also have lost edge rusher Nic Scourton and rookie receiver Chris Brazzell II to season ending injuries. Ekwonu and Moton could both miss the start of the season. It’s not how Carolina wanted to start out.
Branch and Joseph are both working back from season-ending injuries, and neither is assured of being ready for the start of the season. The Lions defense, and the secondary in particular, is a question mark. There could be a lot of high-scoring games for Detroit early on.
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Nabers is back to drills in camp but not quite yet back to full speed. Overall the news has been fairly optimistic for Nabers, who is returning from a torn ACL. His presence is huge for a Giants offense that is thin at receiver after him.
7. Cardinals RB Jeremiyah Love
The Cardinals made the strange decision to give Love 14 touches in the first half of his first preseason game, and now they’re paying the price. Love suffered a high ankle sprain, and that’s an injury that can slow down a player long after they return. Even if Love is back for the season opener, his effectiveness early on could be affected.
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Pierce signed a four-year, $114 million deal and then has not been on the field in training camp due to ankle surgery and a slow recovery. The Colts signed Keenan Allen because they’re thin at receiver, and there’s been no announced timetable for Pierce’s return. The Colts’ offense changes without Pierce, who led the NFL in yards per reception two straight seasons.
5. All those 49ers
The 49ers have had more than a dozen players who have missed time in camp due to injuries. The most serious was receiver Ricky Pearsall, who will miss the season after knee surgery. That cuts down San Francisco’s depth. Another key injury to keep an eye on is tight end George Kittle, who is progressing well from a torn Achilles but hasn’t been cleared yet for Week 1.
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4. Saints WR Jordyn Tyson
Tyson came into the NFL with injury concerns and now he’s out for an estimated two months with a hamstring injury. The eighth overall pick of the draft will be behind when he comes back, and that’s bad news for a Saints offense that was hoping for him and Chris Olave to energize the passing game.
Egbuka has a toe injury, speculated to be turf toe, and his status for Week 1 is unclear. That’s not good for the Buccaneers’ new No. 1 receiver, because he could be slower than usual even when he does return. The Bucs are also dealing with another big “injury,” as defensive tackle Vita Vea has a back injury that is really a hold-in for a new contract. If neither situation improves soon, the Bucs could be without two of their best players for a tough Week 1 matchup at Cincinnati.
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Parsons is still working back from a torn ACL and has said he believes he could make it back for a Week 6 game against the Cowboys, his former team. However long the Packers are without Parsons, or if Parsons needs some extra time to get back to his normal level, Green Bay’s defense has shown it is much worse without him. That’s a major concern early in the season, especially if the Packers fall behind in a tough NFC North.
Tunsil’s torn triceps could keep him out for most or all of the season, and it turns a solid offensive line into a below average one. The Commanders didn’t get Jayden Daniels a ton of help this offseason, focusing on improving the defense instead. Asking Daniels, who missed most of last season, to operate without his star left tackle is not a great situation for the Commanders coming into the season.
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