NFL Injuries

Pittsburgh Steelers running back Najee Harris had an injury scare on Sunday, but he reportedly avoided disaster.

According to ESPN's Adam Schefter, Harris underwent tests on Monday for a foot injury and they came back negative. The belief is that he "should be good to go" for Sunday's game against the New England Patriots.

Harris limped off the field with an apparent foot injury late in the fourth quarter of Pittsburgh's Week 1 overtime win over the Cincinnati Bengals and didn't return. He had been dealing with a Lisfranc sprain throughout training camp. He was seen wearing a protective boot after the game.

The second-year speedster out of Alabama is one of Pittsburgh's most important offensive players. He made an immediate impact as a rookie, appearing in all 17 games in 2021 and rushing for 1,200 yards and seven touchdowns on 307 carries. He also added 74 receptions on 94 targets for 467 yards and three more scores.

An injury to Harris would have been a major blow to the Steelers, as the team is fairly thin at the running back position. Rookie undrafted free agent Jaylen Warren took the majority of the snaps when Harris exited against Cincinnati. Fourth-year running back Benny Snell is also available, but he rushed for just 98 yards on 36 carries last season. Snell made five combined starts in 2019 and 2020. The team also has 2020 fourth-round pick, Anthony McFarland, on the practice squad.

With Harris expected to be healthy in Week 2, the Steelers are hoping to continue building off the momentum from their win over the Bengals.

The Dallas Cowboys lost much more than a season opener Sunday, as ESPN's Todd Archer reported quarterback Dak Prescott is expected to miss six to eight weeks with a right thumb injury he suffered during the game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

"We'll look at those things," head coach Mike McCarthy told reporters Monday when discussing potentially bringing in another quarterback. "We definitely anticipate making some roster moves, maybe by tomorrow."

He also said he has a list of every signal-caller who is purportedly available in the NFL.

ESPN's Jeremy Fowler said on Monday's SportsCenter he believes Dallas will "explore" outside options. He listed San Francisco 49ers backup Jimmy Garoppolo and Pittsburgh Steelers backup Mason Rudolph as potential options.

For now, the Cowboys have Cooper Rush as their internal option.

While Rush did win his only start last season in a game against the Minnesota Vikings, he has attempted just 63 career passes with 13 of them coming in Sunday's game after the result was all but decided.

He isn't exactly an inspiring choice for a team that could still have playoff aspirations with playmakers such as Micah Parsons, CeeDee Lamb and Ezekiel Elliott on the roster.

Dallas is accustomed to playing without Prescott in the recent past considering a compound fracture and dislocation of his right ankle limited him to just five games in 2020. Yet it went just 4-7 without him and missed the playoffs in its worst finish since the 2015 campaign.

Garoppolo is the type of game manager who predicates his approach on getting the ball into the hands of the talented options around him. He is 33-14 as a starter in his career and is surely on the Cowboys' radar considering he is currently backing up Trey Lance for the 49ers.

Rudolph is less accomplished than Garoppolo but went 5-3 as a starter filling in for Ben Roethlisberger in 2019 and could help keep the team afloat until Prescott is ready to return.

A decision will have to be made fast, though, because the NFC East team faces three division teams and the two squads that were in last season's Super Bowl, the Cincinnati Bengals and Los Angeles Rams, in the next five games.

How Dallas performs in that stretch without Prescott will go a long way toward determining how its season will unfold.

New England Patriots quarterback Mac Jones was diagnosed with back spasms after his X-rays came back negative, per Ian Rapoport of NFL Network.

There is reportedly "a chance" Jones plays in his team's Week 2 game against the Pittsburgh Steelers, per Rapoport.

Jones revealed a back injury after the season opener against the Miami Dolphins. He played all 17 games during his rookie campaign.

The 2022 season is figured to be an important one for Jones as he attempts to establish himself as the franchise quarterback for the Patriots, who selected him with the No. 15 pick of the 2021 draft.

This year didn't get off to the best start, with Jones turning it over twice in a 20-7 loss to the Dolphins on Sunday.

The Patriots could now turn toward veteran journeyman Brian Hoyer under center if Jones is sidelined.

They could do worse at backup than the 36-year-old, who has played for the Patriots, Arizona Cardinals, Cleveland Browns, Houston Texans, Chicago Bears, San Francisco 49ers and Indianapolis Colts throughout his career, but developing Jones is a priority for the franchise.

Rookie fourth-round pick Bailey Zappe could also be an option.

San Francisco 49ers running back Elijah Mitchell suffered a knee injury in Sunday's season opener against the Chicago Bears and was ruled out for the remainder of the game, the team announced.

Mitchell had six carries for 41 yards before exiting.

It's a tough blow for Mitchell, who was in and out of the lineup in his rookie year because of knee, shoulder and rib injuries. The sixth-round pick out of Louisiana also missed time with a concussion.

In 11 games last season, he rushed for 963 yards and five touchdowns and also caught 19 passes for 137 yards and one score.

In addition, the 24-year-old underwent knee surgery in April but fully recovered in time for training camp with the Niners in July. After having surgery, he told reporters that he wanted to become a more complete running back.

"Really, just to improve on everything, on things that I need to work with," Mitchell said. "Really to just build on what I did last year and just to become that perfect back."

With Mitchell atop San Francisco's depth chart, he's expected to carry much of the load this year. However, when he misses time, Jeff Wilson Jr., Tyrion Davis-Price and Trey Sermon should see more playing time.

The Arizona Cardinals wide receiver room took another hit on Thursday.

Second-year receiver Rondale Moore suffered a hamstring injury during Thursday's practice and is set to undergo an MRI to determine the extent of the injury, per Aaron Wilson of Pro Football Network.

The Cardinals are already set to begin the year without DeAndre Hopkins, who will miss the first six games while serving a suspension for violating the NFL's performance-enhancing substance policy.

If the team is also without Moore, it could be a tough start to the year on offense in Arizona.

Moore had a solid rookie season in 2021, catching 54 passes for 435 yards and one touchdown in 14 games. While he sat behind Hopkins, Christian Kirk and A.J. Green on the roster last year, he was expected to play a larger role in 2022.

If the Purdue product is sidelined for any period of time, the Cardinals will rely more heavily on Green, Marquise "Hollywood" Brown, whom they acquired during the 2022 NFL draft from the Baltimore Ravens, and Andy Isabella.

Brown is coming off a breakout 2021 campaign that saw him catch 91 passes for 1,008 yards and six touchdowns in 16 games. He's expected to be Kyler Murray's top target with Hopkins sidelined through Week 6.

The Cardinals open the season on Sunday against the Kansas City Chiefs at State Farm Stadium before traveling to face the Las Vegas Raiders for Week 2.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers veteran wideout Chris Godwin told reporters on Thursday he would be a game-time decision for Sunday's season-opening matchup against the Dallas Cowboys.

"I don't have a definitive answer," Godwin said. "I'm just really grateful to be out there right now."

Godwin is recovering from a torn ACL and MCL suffered in Week 15 last season.

"I think it's a really like complicated process," he told reporters. "Obviously, you come off a major injury like this, you never really know how you're gonna feel. But I've been doing really well. Y'all see me out there practicing. I've been doing a lot of stuff, and like each day, it's very different than the day before. So, I think, ultimately, what it comes down to is, one, how I'm feeling, and then two, the discussions I've had with [head coach] Todd Bowles and the training staff. I think whenever the time comes for the game, I think everybody will know, but until then, even I'm not sure."

The concern for fantasy players is that the Buccaneers play the Sunday night game. The risk in keeping a starting spot open for Godwin is that if he's ultimately ruled out, a replacement option will need to come from either the Bucs, Cowboys or the teams facing off Monday night, the Denver Broncos and Seattle Seahawks.

That eliminates a large pool of players and likely means that Godwin should remain on the majority of benches in Week 1 unless his situation is updated before Sunday's 1 p.m. ET slate of games.

But that seems unlikely, and the Bucs aren't going to rush Godwin back.

"[The games] count the same, but we want him well. I don't want him out there before it's time," Bowles told reporters. "If he's healthy and ready to go and they clear him, and everybody feels he's ready to go and it's completely 100 percent, then you take your shot. Anything less than that, I'd rather him sit."

Adjust your rosters accordingly, fantasy players.

The Detroit Lions have placed Jameson Williams on the reserve/non-football injury list Tuesday, per Tom Pelissero of NFL Network.

The 12th overall pick in the 2022 NFL draft will be unavailable to begin the year after suffering a torn ACL in last year's college football national championship game while at Alabama.

Detroit hopes Williams will be available to play around midseason, according to Pelissero.

The wideout told James Palmer of NFL Network prior to the draft that he was expecting to be fully cleared before training camp. In May, ESPN's Jeremy Fowler reported most executives predicted October as the "sweet spot for his return," with November also a possibility.

It's clear the Lions will remain patient with the 21-year-old as they prioritize his long-term outlook over an early return.

Williams was one of college football's breakout stars after transferring from Ohio State to Alabama. He tallied 79 catches for 1,572 receiving yards and 15 touchdowns in 15 games as the leading receiver for the national runner-ups.

It came after catching just 15 passes across two seasons with the Buckeyes.

The 6'2" receiver also displayed his dynamic ability on special teams, averaging 35.2 yards per kickoff return with two touchdowns.

Even with the injury, the Lions saw enough to trade up 20 spots from No. 32 to make Williams the fourth receiver off the board in April. When he does get on the field, he will join an exciting offense featuring young playmakers D'Andre Swift and Amon-Ra St. Brown.

Seattle Seahawks running back Kenneth Walker III reportedly underwent surgery to repair a hernia.

According to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport, Walker is expected to make a full recovery and the team hopes he is ready for Week 1 "if all goes well."

Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll told reporters on Tuesday that the 21-year-old was dealing with a hernia and the hope is to have him ready by the 2022 season opener against the Denver Broncos.

The 41st pick in the 2022 NFL draft, Walker will play a key role in Seattle's run-heavy offense when he's healthy.

Former Seahawks running back Chris Carson retired in July because of a neck injury he suffered in 2021, leaving an opening for lead ball-carrier. Fifth-year veteran Rashaad Penny has never played a full season in his career, so Walker likely will see ample opportunities in his first year.

Walker burst onto the scene in his lone season at Michigan State after transferring from Wake Forest. In 2021, he racked up 1,636 rushing yards and 18 touchdowns on 263 carries for the Spartans and was a finalist for the Heisman Trophy. He rushed for 1,158 yards and 17 scores in two seasons combined at Wake Forest.

During training camp, Carroll expressed confidence in deploying Walker as Seattle's lead back: "He could play all three downs and we'd feel comfortable with it."

While the Arlington, Tennessee native is out, Penny will get a hefty share of the carries. Travis Homer and DeeJay Dallas will split the backup duties.

Once Walker is able to return, he will likely be the workhorse in Seattle's backfield.

Zach Wilson may be starting the 2022 NFL season on the sidelines.

According to Jonathan Jones of CBS Sports, Week 1's matchup with the Baltimore Ravens is "very much in jeopardy" for the New York Jets' quarterback as he's set to have arthroscopic surgery for a torn meniscus and bone bruise on his right knee.

"We're optimistic, but he's not out of the woods until they get in there and make the decision [on how to handle the meniscus]," head coach Robert Saleh told reporters on Sunday.

The initial prognosis suggested a recovery time of two to four weeks, though it will depend on the extent of the repair needed for his meniscus, which will be determined during surgery.

Wilson suffered the injury during Friday night's preseason matchup with the Philadelphia Eagles and, at the very least, his preseason is over.

The 23-year-old threw for 2,334 yards, nine touchdowns and 11 interceptions across 13 games last season, completing 55.6 percent of his passes. It was a tough introduction to the NFL for the then-rookie quarterback, and losing the rest of his preseason preparations this year isn't ideal.

"It's a setback in that he's missing an unbelievable opportunity to get the reps in, to play other defenses, especially the New York Giants, who have such an elaborate pressure-package system," Saleh noted. "He has to get dialed in, just like he did last year when he was hurt. The timing of it all is terrible and it sucks, but I think Zach still has an opportunity to grow from it if he attacks it mentally."

The Jets are scheduled to face the Atlanta Falcons and the New York Giants in the remainder of their preseason slate before opening the season against the Ravens on Sunday, Sept. 11.

The Jets will count their blessings that Wilson didn't suffer a more serious knee injury, like an ACL tear, though it does remain a concern that the young quarterback has now had two injuries to his right knee in the past year.

Last season, a sprained PCL cost him four games, though it didn't require surgery.

Las Vegas Raiders tight end Darren Waller has missed time in training camp because of a lingering hamstring injury.

ESPN's Adam Schefter reported the injury is "not considered serious." Paul Gutierrez of ESPN spoke to Waller at a Las Vegas Aces game, and the veteran tight end indicated he planned to return to practice next week.

Waller is coming off an injury-plagued 2021 campaign that limited him to 11 games. He and wideouts Davante Adams and Hunter Renfrow are set to combine to make up one of the best pass-catching trios in football.

Without Waller, though, the Raiders will likely turn to Foster Moreau to take first-team reps.