Elijah Mitchell Facing Extended Absence
SEPTEMBER 12: The injury could cost Mitchell a significant chunk of his second season. NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport tweets that Mitchell is expected to miss “some time” as a result of the injury, and ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter adds (via Twitter) that timetable will likely land in the two-month range.
MCL sprains typically do not produce this long of an absence, and Mitchell battled through multiple injuries to return to the field fairly quickly last season. But Kyle Shanahan has since confirmed an eight-week absence is slated, via The Athletic’s Matt Barrows (on Twitter). Wilson, who entered the season as San Francisco’s clear-cut No. 2 back, is expected to replace Mitchell as the starter. Despite the lengthy timetable, Shanahan said Mitchell is not expected to need surgery.
SEPTEMBER 11: In the second quarter of their season opener, the 49ers’ running back woes from the past few years continued as starter Elijah Mitchell left the field with a knee injury, according to Field Yates of ESPN. This was certainly not the news that San Francisco needed today, in a game that needed it to be able to run the ball well, but, with Mitchell’s injury history, the news is even more concerning for the rest of the season.
Mitchell missed six games last year and had knee surgery in the offseason that forced him to miss all of the team’s spring practices. When asked about the status moving forward for Mitchell, head coach Kyle Shanahan told reporters (David Bonilla of 49ers Web Zone), “I’m not sure. I know they said they thought he had a chance to come back and then they ruled him out about a quarter later, so I’m not sure yet.”
With rookie third-round pick Tyrion Davis-Price designated as “out” going into the game, San Francisco had two healthy backs remaining, Jeff Wilson, who filled in as RB1 when Mitchell was sidelined last year, and undrafted rookie Jordan Mason.
When Mitchell exited the game, Wilson was the only running back to take any carries for the offense, but he was not the only rusher. Obviously, quarterback Trey Lance had his fair share of scrambles, as expected, but after Wilson’s nine carries for 22 yards, Deebo Samuel continued his hybrid role with eight carries for 52 yards while running in the team’s only touchdown of the day. Third-year receiver Brandon Aiyuk also recorded a carry.
The lack of early news on Mitchell’s outlook may be good news, but, considering his recent surgery and injury-history from last year, a knee injury was the last thing the 49ers wanted to see. Fortunately, San Francisco has plenty of experience from recent seasons in putting together a strong rushing attack despite injuries, and the 49ers’ offense is well-designed to let key offensive players like Lance and Samuel supplement their running game when needed.
Keenan Allen Unlikely For Week 2?
9:50pm: In a postgame interview, Allen claimed he “possibly” can play in Week 2 after today’s hamstring injury, according to Lindsey Thiry of ESPN. When reminded that the Chargers have a short week before their Thursday night matchup in Kansas City, Allen amended his “possibly” to a “small possibly.”
6:54pm: Los Angeles was rolling on offense before veteran wide receiver Keenan Allen left the game in the first half with an apparent hamstring injury. Allen pulled up in the middle of running a route, grabbed him hamstring, and limped directly off the field and to the blue medical tent. After initially being announced as questionable to return, he was quickly downgraded to “out,” according to Bridget Condon of NFL Network. 
Allen was a huge part of the Chargers’ early success on Sunday, reeling in four catches for 66 yards in less than two quarters of football. Without Allen in the second half, Los Angeles’ offense grew stagnant, allowing the Raiders to claw their way back into the game.
In Allen’s absence, quarterback Justin Herbert had to really spread out his targets. Newly re-signed Mike Williams is the obvious answer to step up with Allen out, but the Las Vegas defense mobbed Williams for much of the remainder of the game, forcing Herbert to find other targets to pass to. The running backs and tight ends got heavily involved in the passing game with Gerald Everett, Tre’ McKitty, Austin Ekeler, Joshua Kelley, and Zander Horvath reeling in 14 receptions between the five of them.
Allen has been with the Chargers for nine years dating back to their time in San Diego. Even with Williams hot on his heels, Allen has been the leading receiver for the Chargers in every healthy season of his career, except for last season when Williams outgained Allen by eight yards. It’s unknown how much time Allen is expected to miss, but, in the meantime, the Chargers will count on wideouts DeAndre Carter, Joshua Palmer, and Jalen Guyton to open up the field for Williams.
Week 1 Injury Roundup: Butker, Jones, Higgins, Rookies
Early in its Week 1 matchup against the Cardinals, Kansas City watched their kicker get carted off the field after Harrison Butker slipped on the kickoff following the team’s opening scoring drive, according to ESPN’s Field Yates. The injury brought on speculation that Chiefs safety Justin Reid may be forced to step in for kicks.
Fortunately, Butker’s injury wasn’t serious enough to keep him permanently out of the game as the sixth-year kicker made his way back onto the field at the end the second half to attempt (and convert) a 54-yard field goal. Still, the Chiefs did play it safe with Butker, calling on Reid to attempt two extra points following Butker’s slip. Reid was successful on his first extra point attempt but missed his second, likely leading to Butker’s return on the field.
Butker kicked the extra points for the remainder of the game, but Kansas City did elect to hold him off the field for kickoffs, letting Reid serve as the kickoff specialist for the rest of the day.
Here are a few other injury notes from around the first week of NFL games, starting with today’s matchup down by South Beach:
- In a rough opening road trip for the Patriots, quarterback Mac Jones was not made available to the media as he was instructed to go to the X-ray room with a back injury, according to Jim McBride of the Boston Globe. The x-rays turned out to be negative, according to NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero, but the team will seek further evaluation on his back injury when they return to Foxborough. It’s unclear at what point in the game Jones suffered the injury, but the 24-year-old completed the game without visible issue.
- Bengals wide receiver Tee Higgins exited the game versus the Steelers today with a concussion after receiving a big hit in the second quarter, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN. Star receiver Ja’Marr Chase produced as expected, but running back Joe Mixon and new tight end Hayden Hurst had to step up in the passing game with Higgins out. If the concussion keeps Higgins out next week, as well, the Bengals will depend on Tyler Boyd, Mike Thomas, Trent Taylor, and Stanley Morgan to make up for Higgins’ lost production.
- Week 1 of the 2022 NFL season saw three second-round rookies go down with injuries. The Commanders added one big piece to their defense this offseason in former-Alabama defensive tackle Phidarian Mathis. In the first quarter of NFL play for the rookie, Mathis went down awkwardly on his left leg, according to Charean Williams of NBC Sports, and did not return to the game. Mathis immediately reached for is knee and showed a flash of anger as the Commanders’ medical staff diagnosed the situation. Mathis isn’t a starter but, if the rookie is forced to miss significant time with the injury, it should mean more snaps for second-year defensive tackle Daniel Wise.
- The Vikings also saw a second-round pick go down when former-Clemson cornerback Andrew Booth left the game with a quad injury, according to Ben Goessling of the Star Tribune. Injuries have plagued the rookie in the past and, if he is forced to miss more time, the Vikings will likely turn to Chandon Sullivan, Kris Boyd, and fellow rookie Akayleb Evans to fill in.
- The Giants added rookie wideout Wan’Dale Robinson to their list of injured receivers, along with Darius Slayton and Collin Johnson, as he left the game today with a knee injury, according to Dan Salomone of Giants.com. Robinson had leapt ahead of Sterling Shepard to start the game alongside Kenny Golladay and Kadarius Toney before suffering the injury. The severity of the ailment is unknown for now, but Shepard should be able to step back into a starting role if Robinson is expected to miss a significant amount of time.
NFL Workouts: DT Corey Peters, CB Jimmy Moreland
Two teams looked at some veteran free agents in the week leading up to the season opener:
- With top run-stopper Folorunso Fatukasi being limited in practice all week going into the first game of the season, the Jaguars decided to audition another defensive tackle in veteran Corey Peters on Thursday, according to ESPN’s Field Yates. Peters has spent all of his 11-year career with two teams after being drafted by the Falcons and spending the past six seasons with the Cardinals. When healthy, he’s been a strong starter and a reliable contributor for both squads. Unfortunately for Peters, Fatukasi ended up being just well enough to play against the Commanders in Jacksonville’s season opener, so Peters’ talents were not necessary.
- The Saints went into Week 1 of the season with three healthy cornerbacks as last year’s impressive rookie, Paulson Adebo, remains out with an ankle injury suffered in practice and cornerback C.J. Gardner-Johnson was surprisingly traded a little under two weeks ago. In response, the team worked out veteran Jimmy Moreland on Thursday, according to Aaron Wilson of Pro Football Network. Moreland has spent time in Philadelphia, Houston, and Washington, where he started 10 games in his first two seasons. Ultimately, New Orleans passed on his services, deciding to depend on a combination of Marshon Lattimore, Bradley Roby, P.J. Williams, and Alontae Taylor on defense.
Colts, G Quenton Nelson Agree To Four-Year Extension
The Colts were able to sneak in just under the buzzer, avoiding playing Pro Bowl guard Quenton Nelson this year on the final year of his rookie contract. Nelson and the Colts agreed to a “precedent-setting” four-year, $80MM extension that will include $60MM guaranteed, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN.
This demolishes the ceiling atop the guard market. Brandon Scherff‘s $16.5MM-per-year Jaguars deal previously held the high-water mark, but Nelson is now on his own tier at the position.
Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk provides a detailed breakdown, noting that $41MM is guaranteed at signing. That includes a $31MM signing bonus and fully-guaranteed base salaries of $4MM and $6MM in 2022 and ’23, respectively. But it is all but certain that Nelson will hit the $60MM in guarantees that Schefter reported, as an additional $19MM is guaranteed for injury now and becomes fully-guaranteed on the fifth day of the 2023 league year.
The Colts had extended fellow offensive linemen Ryan Kelly and Braden Smith in the last couple of years, so Nelson was, naturally, next in line. General manager Chris Ballard absolutely loves the 26-year-old, calling him a Hall of Fame left guard at times and crediting Nelson as a huge contributor to the success of running back Jonathan Taylor.
Ballard is not off-base at all in his assessment. Since being drafted sixth-overall in 2018, Nelson has been named a first-team All-Pro in every year except last season (when he was named a second-team All-Pro) and has yet to miss being nominated for a Pro Bowl. With just four seasons under his belt, Nelson has the most total All-Pro selections by a guard in franchise history for the Colts and is just the second player in team history to make the Pro Bowl in each of his first four seasons.
The dependable lineman hadn’t missed a game in his NFL career until he sat out of four contests last season (perhaps the reason he was demoted to only second-team All-Pro). A high ankle sprain caused him to miss three games and he missed a fourth game on the reserve/COVID-19 list later on in the year.
On the point of his health, the Notre Dame alum recently said, “I feel great, no surgeries this offseason. It was just a chance to really work on my body… gaining more range of motion in my joints, more flexibility.”
Talks of reaching an agreement before the start of the regular season were not sounding promising in mid-August, but the eventual deal was considered a “foregone conclusion.” Now the deal is done, and Nelson is the highest-paid guard in NFL history. Nelson is well worth the money and will look to continue his dominant play against the Texans tomorrow.
Commanders Injury Updates: Robinson, Thomas, Curl
After surviving an attempted robbery that resulted in multiple gunshot wounds, rookie third-round running back Brian Robinson is looking more and more likely to make a return to the field this season for the Commanders. On the Don Geronimo Show, head coach Ron Rivera divulged that the swelling in Robinson’s knee has gone down “an awful lot” and that Robinson is off crutches less than two weeks after suffering his non-life-threatening injuries, according to Nicki Jhabvala of The Washington Post.
The Commanders were forced to place Robinson on the reserve/non-football injury list as a result of the shooting, meaning that, at the very least, Robinson will miss four games to begin his rookie season. Many expected the result to be much, much worse, but it’s looking more and more like a Week 5 return is possible, according to NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo.
Here’s a few more updates out of DC, starting with some more good news on the offensive side of the ball:
- Washington’s starting tight end, Logan Thomas, will be available for the season opener tomorrow versus the Jaguars after tearing his ACL and MCL only nine months ago, according to ESPN’s John Keim. Thomas opened training camp on the active/physically unable to perform list, being activated off the list about three weeks ago, but has been practicing with a brace on his leg since coming back. The former Virginia Tech quarterback will want to try and recapture the magic of his breakout season two years ago, when he caught 72 balls for 670 yards and six touchdowns. The addition of Thomas should give new quarterback Carson Wentz a full array of targets along with Terry McLaurin, rookie first-round pick Jahan Dotson, and Curtis Samuel.
- After suffering a thumb injury a little over a week ago, it was confirmed that starting safety Kamren Curl indeed underwent surgery to repair his thumb, according to Jhabvala and Sam Fortier of The Washington Post. Curl feels that he could potentially play “if it came to that,” but he will forgo the club-like cast and play it safe as he works towards a quick recovery. Curl is expected to miss the the season opener, according to a tweet from Keim, but his absence is expected to end there. According to Jhabvala’s Twitter account, Rivera is “pretty optimistic” that Curl will only miss one game, making sure to clarify that he is not the team’s doctor, for what it’s worth.
Lions Place DL Levi Onwuzurike On IR
Detroit will be without its second-year defensive lineman for at least four games after placing Levi Onwuzurike on injured reserve today, according to a tweet from the team’s Twitter account. Onwuzurike gave the Lions versatility on the defensive line last year, taking snaps at end and on the interior. 
Onwuzurike was drafted in the second-round last year despite back troubles that plagued him in college. The back issues have persisted through his rookie season to now. They caused him to miss Detroit’s entire rookie training camp, causing him to seek outside opinions before returning to the team.
The former Washington Huskies lineman was able to appear in 16 games last year as a rookie, but failed to make a lasting impression. Onwuzurike did record 35 total tackles, but was only able to manage 2.0 tackles for loss, 1.0 sack, one quarterback hit, and two passes defensed, numbers the Lions hoped he would be able to improve on in his sophomore season.
Onwuzurike added strength in the offseason and showed up for camp ready to roll into Year 2. Unfortunately, he was unable to make it through a single padded practice before yet another back ailment sidelined the 24-year-old. He hasn’t been able to practice since.
Detroit hoped it would be able to keep Onwuzurike off of injured reserve so that he could still attend practice. Some on the staff credited his rookie struggles with the amount of time he was forced to be away from the team leading up to the season. If he stayed off IR, he’d be able to practice on days when medical staff cleared him to do so. Instead, he’ll be handcuffed by the restrictions of the IR.
He joins Romeo Okwara and rookie Josh Paschal as defensive linemen that are too injured to play in the season opener. The Lions will start Alim McNeill and Michael Brockers in the middle and Charles Harris and rookie first-round pick Aidan Hutchinson at the end spots. Without Onwuzurike, Okwara, and Paschal, the starters will be relieved by Austin Bryant, Isaiah Buggs, John Cominsky, Julian Okwara, Benito Jones, and undrafted rookie Demetrius Taylor.
NFL Practice Squad Updates: 9/10/22
Standard game day practice squad promotions can be found on our Minor Moves post, but here’s today’s other practice squad moves:
Chicago Bears
- Signed: DL Mike Pennel
New Orleans Saints
- Signed: T Tanner Owen
Cowboys WR Michael Gallup Out Against Buccaneers
Dallas will face the Buccaneers to open up the regular season for the second-straight year. Quarterback Dak Prescott‘s pass-catching options will look a bit different this year with Amari Cooper in Cleveland and Michael Gallup sitting out the first game of the season, according to Mike Garafolo of NFL Network. The Cowboys’ practice injury report from this week gave fans a glimmer of hope as Gallup was listed as a limited participant, but we’ll have to wait a bit longer to see the incredible return of Dallas’s No. 2 receiver. 
Gallup is in the process of attempting to return from a Week 17 ACL tear suffered in January of this year. It would have been an impressive feat for Gallup to have suited up on Sunday night, just nine months after the initial injury. It won’t be any less impressive when he makes his 2022 debut a week or two from now.
Gallup is set for a comeback season whenever he does return. After a decent rookie season, Gallup exploded in Year 2 with 66 catches for 1,107 yards and six touchdowns as the No. 2 receiver behind Cooper. His production was slightly limited with the arrival of first-round draft pick Ceedee Lamb in 2020, but he still racked up 59 receptions for 843 yards and five touchdowns as the No. 3 receiver. A Week 1 calf injury sidelined Gallup for nine weeks to start 2021, and Gallup was a bit slow to get back into midseason form before his ACL tear.
With Cooper out of the picture this year, Gallup is likely itching to reprise his role as a No. 2 wide receiver. Lamb is primed to continue his role as the team’s top wideout after taking over the role last year.
Gallup joins free agent offseason addition James Washington as receivers set to miss the opener. With those two out, Dallas will rely on starters Lamb and third-round rookie Jalen Tolbert, with backups Noah Brown, Simi Fehoko, undrafted rookie Dennis Houston, and USFL-star KaVontae Turpin getting their chances to contribute.
Cardinals Missing Three Starters For Opener With Chiefs
Not only will Arizona’s talent be tested early with a Week 1 matchup against the Chiefs, but their depth will be tested, as well, with three starters expected to miss the season opener, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter. The team’s injury report leading up to the first game of the season shows wide receiver Rondale Moore, right guard Cody Ford, and cornerback Trayvon Mullen‘s game statuses as “out.” 
Moore is a circumstantial starter to begin with, as DeAndre Hopkins starts the season with a six-game suspension. As a rookie last year, Moore was third on the team in receptions (54) and fifth on the team in receiving yards (435), numbers good enough to earn him the starting role during Hopkins’ absence. Unfortunately, though, Moore suffered a hamstring injury in practice yesterday that was described as “serious.” No official announcement has been made regarding an MRI that Moore took to determine the severity of the injury, but, regardless, a Week 1 absence was the very least of what was expected. With Moore out, Andy Isabella and Greg Dortch will get plenty of snaps as the only two healthy receivers remaining on the roster behind starters Marquise Brown and A.J. Green.
Ford is a former second-round pick for the Bills who slowly fell out of favor with the Bills last season and was traded to Arizona in exchange for a fifth-round pick in the 2023 NFL Draft. As a rookie, Ford had started 15 games, alternating time at guard and tackle. He entered 2020 as the team’s starting right guard and switched over to left guard after three games. After 11 weeks of play, Ford suffered a torn meniscus in practice and spent the remainder of the season on injured reserve. He returned as the starter at right guard to start 2021 but, after some early season struggles, was benched and made a few spot starts in backup duty for the remainder of the year. Ford’s regular season debut as a Cardinal will have to wait as an ankle injury will force Arizona to likely start Justin Pugh in his place.
As another offseason trade acquisition, Mullen’s debut in red and white will have to wait, as well. Mullen was reportedly in danger of being waived in Las Vegas and the Cardinals threw the Raiders a line, offering up a seventh-round pick in exchange for the fourth-year cornerback. One desert team’s loss was another desert team’s gain as the Cardinals slotted Mullen in as their starter opposite Marco Wilson. Mullen had returned to practice in August after ending the season with a toe injury and getting offseason surgery, but the injury appears to have lingered. Mullen hasn’t practiced all week and will miss the season opening matchup with his former division rival. In Mullen’s absence, Arizona will rely on Byron Murphy to start opposite Wilson.
Last year saw the Cardinals jump out to an undefeated, 7-0 start before finishing the season on a 4-6 stretch to limp into the playoffs as a wild card team. The undefeated start to the 2022 season was going to be hard enough with a Week 1 matchup against the Chiefs. The absence of three starters will make things just a touch more challenging.