NFL Injuries

LSU star cornerback Derek Stingley Jr. reportedly will not work out at this week's NFL Scouting Combine as he recovers from a Lisfranc injury that required surgery during the season, per the NFL Network's Ian Rapoport. 

Stingley is planning to work out on his April 6 pro day, however. 

The junior played in just three games for LSU this past season, registering eight tackles and a forced fumble. But he had already emerged as one of the top defensive backs in the country during his freshman and sophomore campaigns, posting 65 tackles, six interceptions, two fumble recoveries and a forced fumble. 

NFL.com's Lance Zierlein has compared him to Carolina Panthers star cornerback Stephon Gilmore, calling him a "uniquely gifted cornerback with rare blend of size, speed and explosiveness that will have teams willing to judge his upside off of tape from two seasons ago."

"He's so much bigger than people realize," a scout for an AFC team told Zierlein. "I think he played too heavy in 2020, but his best pro weight is going to be around 205 pounds and he's still really fast at that weight." 

The concern with the 6'1", 195-pound Stingley is that he's played just 10 games the past two seasons and hasn't notched an interception since his six-pick freshman year. There are also consistency concerns. 

The NFL Network's Daniel Jeremiah, meanwhile, ranked Stingley as his No. 15 overall prospect on his latest big board, noting he has "all of the tools to be an elite cover man, but he needs to play with more urgency and aggression."

1. Sauce Gardner
2. Derek Stingley
3. Trent McDuffie
4. Andrew Booth
5. Roger McCreary https://t.co/CKASEPi3Hd

— Matt Miller (@nfldraftscout) February 21, 2022

Stingley seems very likely to be selected in the first round based on his potential and tools, and missing the combine shouldn't affect his draft stock, especially if he has an impressive pro day. 

Cincinnati Bengals linebacker Logan Wilson is expected to make a full recovery after undergoing surgery last week to repair a torn labrum, according to ESPN's Jeremy Fowler.

The 25-year-old played the second half of the regular season and the playoffs with a full tear, Fowler added. 

The Bengals selected Wilson in the third round of the 2020 draft. After recording two interceptions, one sack, three passes defended, 33 tackles, four tackles for a loss and two quarterback hits in 12 games during his rookie season, the Wyoming product took a step forward in 2021. 

Wilson recorded four interceptions, one sack, four passes defended, one forced fumble, 100 tackles, five tackles for a loss and one quarterback hit in 13 games. He started all 13 games, compared to just two during his rookie season.

The 25-year-old also performed well through four playoff games, recording one interception, three passes defended, 39 tackles, four tackles for a loss and one quarterback hit.

Wilson has two years remaining on his four-year rookie deal. He should continue to start at linebacker alongside Germaine Pratt next season. 

The Bengals reached the Super Bowl this year for the first time since 1988. It was also their first postseason appearance since the 2015 season and the first time they had made it past the Wild Card Round since 1990.

If Cincinnati reaches the Super Bowl again next season, Wilson figures to play a big role in the team's success. 

Cincinnati Bengals tight end C.J. Uzomah reportedly has been diagnosed with an MCL sprain and "has got a chance" to play in the Super Bowl against the Los Angeles RAms.

Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reported the news on Monday, noting Bengals head coach Zac Taylor said the MRI on Uzomah's knee was "encouraging."

Uzomah suffered the injury early in Sunday's AFC Championship win against the Kansas City Chiefs and was later carted to the locker room.

Uzomah has been a significant factor for Cincinnati this postseason. During the team's 26-19 win over the Las Vegas Raiders in the Wild Card Round, he caught six passes for 64 yards and a touchdown on six targets.

The 29-year-old followed that up with seven catches for 71 yards on eight targets in an AFC divisional-round win over the Tennessee Titans.

Uzomah also put together one of his most productive seasons in the NFL during the regular season. In 16 games, he caught 49 passes for 493 yards and five touchdowns.

The 2015 fifth-round pick has been pretty durable through his seven-year career, appearing in at least 10 games five times. However, the Auburn product appeared in just two games during the 2020 campaign before suffering a torn Achilles.

If Uzomah is unable to return for the Super Bowl, the Bengals will turn to 2019 second-round pick Drew Sample. In 17 regular-season games, he caught just 11 passes for 81 yards on 15 targets. Mitchell Wilcox is also available. He caught three passes for 16 yards in 15 games this season.

That said, Burrow will likely look more toward receivers Ja'Marr Chase, Tyler Boyd and Tee Higgins to carry the load if Uzomah is out. Running back Joe Mixon is also effective in the passing game.

Kansas City Chiefs running back Clyde Edwards-Helaire will be on the field for Sunday's AFC Divisional Round game against the Buffalo Bills.

Per ESPN's Adam Teicher, Edwards-Helaire doesn't have an injury designation on the final practice report released Friday. 

Edwards-Helaire was listed on the official injury report throughout the week with a shoulder issue, but he has been a full participant in practice each of the past three days. 

The 22-year-old has had a tough season from an injury standpoint. He missed seven games during the regular season because of MCL and shoulder issues as well as the team's 42-21 win over the Pittsburgh Steelers in the Wild Card Round. 

Otherwise, Edwards-Helaire had a solid season, rushing for 517 yards and four scores while adding 19 catches for 129 yards and two touchdowns in 10 games. He split time with Darrel Williams, who came into the postseason with his own injury concerns and didn't see the field much in the win over the Steelers.

That opened the door for a bigger role for Jerick McKinnon, who responded with 142 yards from scrimmage and a touchdown. 

"Every day you have something to prove in this league," McKinnon told reporters after the game. "I knew that I would get a little bit more opportunities than I've had in the other games that we played ... and I just wanted to prove to my teammates and my coaches that I can get the job done."

"I've seen it from training camp on that he's a playmaker," quarterback Patrick Mahomes said of McKinnon. "Obviously, he's dealt with injury in his career and he dealt with a little bit of injury this season, but he's kept his mindset right, he's kept working hard. And I knew with some other guys kind of being down and dinged up that he would step in and fill in nicely."

Given how well McKinnon played last week against the Steelers, he might be in line for a bigger role against the Bills. Edwards-Helaire has started all 25 games he's played over the past two seasons, including two playoff games last year. 

The Chiefs are hosting the Bills at Arrowhead Stadium on Sunday at 6:30 p.m. ET. They would advance to their fourth consecutive AFC Championship Game with a win. 

The Los Angeles Rams will be without key players on both sides of the ball for Sunday's NFC Divisional Round playoff game against the reigning Super Bowl champion Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Rams head coach Sean McVay told reporters Friday that starting left tackle Andrew Whitworth will miss the game with knee and ankle injuries, while starting safety Taylor Rapp will also be out with a concussion.

Rapp was injured in Week 18 and missed last week's NFC Wild Card Round win over the Arizona Cardinals, while Whitworth got injured in that game.

The 40-year-old Whitworth is the anchor of L.A.'s offensive line, starting 71 of a possible 81 games over the past five seasons.

Whitworth got hurt on the Rams' first offensive play of the game in the NFC Wild Card Round. He did manage to play 30 snaps during the contest, but McVay kept him off the field throughout the second half of a one-sided affair.

The four-time Pro Bowler and three-time All-Pro has effectively protected quarterback Matthew Stafford's blindside throughout the season, but Stafford won't have the luxury of Whitworth's presence Sunday.

With Whitworth on the shelf, Joe Noteboom is likely to get the start at left tackle against Tampa Bay's ferocious pass-rush.

Noteboom, 26, was a third-round pick of the Rams in 2018, and he has some starting experience.

The TCU product has started 17 of the 47 games he has appeared in over four seasons, including two in Whitworth's absences this season. Noteboom has yet to start a playoff game.

Rapp enjoyed a career year in 2021, tying for the team lead with four interceptions and finishing second on the team in tackles with 94.

Not having the 24-year-old last week loomed large since the Rams were also without their other starting safety in Jordan Fuller, who is out for the remainder of the season with an ankle injury.

With both Rapp and Fuller out last week, Los Angeles started Nick Scott and Terrell Burgess at safety.

The 26-year-old Scott had only one regular-season start in 48 career games to his credit, while the 23-year-old Burgess has only started two regular-season games over two campaigns.

Additionally, the Rams brought six-time Pro Bowler Eric Weddle out of retirement, and he played 19 defensive snaps against the Cards.

The 37-year-old Weddle hadn't played since 2019 when he suited up for the Rams, but with a week of action under his belt, he could potentially be used even more against Tampa.

The state of L.A.'s safety situation could be a big issue Sunday, as the Rams are going up against arguably the greatest quarterback of all time in Tom Brady.

Cleveland Browns quarterback Baker Mayfield will be sidelined for four to six months after undergoing surgery on the shoulder injury that bothered him throughout the 2021 season, the team announced Wednesday. 

pic.twitter.com/eABtoOSygV

— Cleveland Browns (@Browns) January 19, 2022

Jake Trotter of ESPN reported it's possible Mayfield winds up back on the field "much sooner" than training camp. The signal-caller posted a video on Twitter updating his status earlier Wednesday, saying his surgery "went great" and was a "complete success."

“Now it’s on the way to the road to recovery," Mayfield said. "This is one of those steps to get back to my true self. ... It’s not going to be an easy one, but it’s going to be one that I’m going to remember and it’s going to be a special one."

Thanks to Dr. Limpisvasti and his team for performing a successful surgery. This is only going to be a minor bump in the road.. excited to get healthy and back to my normal self. Thank y’all and God Bless. pic.twitter.com/cRVdkB6t9d

— Baker Mayfield (@bakermayfield) January 19, 2022

Mayfield played wearing a harness for much of the season to protect his shoulder, clearly impacting his performance. He finished with 3,010 yards and 17 touchdowns against 13 interceptions, ranking as one of the worst qualifying starting quarterbacks in nearly every metric.

The Browns, arguably equipped with a Super Bowl-caliber roster everywhere except quarterback and wide receiver, finished a disappointing 8-9. They also watched top wideout Odell Beckham Jr. force his way out of Cleveland—thanks in large part to his father disparaging Mayfield—only to thrive after signing with the Los Angeles Rams.

Mayfield, who seemed destined for a contract extension paying him upwards of $35 million per season a year ago, will now likely play 2022 on his fifth-year option in a make-it-or-break-it year for his tenure in Cleveland. An NFL executive told ESPN's Jeremy Fowler to expect the Browns to explore trading Mayfield this offseason, though the team's public comments suggest otherwise.

“We have been with Baker for a long period of time at this point. We know his work ethic, we know his drive and we have seen him as a talented passer in this league. We are looking forward to him getting healthy and continuing to make improvements. We expect him to bounce back next year," general manager Andrew Berry told reporters last week.

Mayfield's injury complicates any potential trade, as it's unlikely he'd be ready to pass a physical by March or April, when most teams are settling their quarterback spot. The overwhelming likelihood is we'll see Mayfield back in a Browns uniform in 2022, but he'll be playing for his job. 

Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts spoke to reporters in a walking boot on his left leg after the team's 31-15 loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday.

Jalen Hurts was in walking boot after game

“It’s something I’ve been battling with. I didn’t play good enough today” pic.twitter.com/TOMyv0RJEP

— John Clark (@JClarkNBCS) January 16, 2022

The 23-year-old took over as the team's starting quarterback last season down the stretch as a rookie, replacing the beleaguered Carson Wentz, who was then traded to the Indianapolis Colts in the offseason.

Hurts also started the first 12 games for the Eagles this year before a left ankle injury kept him out of a Week 13 matchup with the New York Jets. 

The Houston native has generally played well when healthy, throwing for 3,144 yards, 16 touchdowns and nine interceptions during the regular season while completing 61.3 percent of his passes. While those numbers may not leap off the page, he's also rushed for 784 yards and 10 scores, providing a dual threat that has proved difficult for defenses to slow down. 

The question in Philadelphia is whether Hurts is the future of the franchise at quarterback—or if he's a solid player who can execute a run-heavy scheme that features his strengths but will struggle to make the tight-window throws that separate great QBs from average ones. 

If it's the latter, the Eagles have three first-round picks in the 2022 draft, giving them the ammunition to either trade up for a prospect they like or trade for a more established veteran. 

Hurts has probably done enough to buy himself at least another season at the helm, even after a disappointing show against the Bucs, and the Eagles could use those picks to address other major needs on the roster, namely on the defensive side of the ball. For a team transitioning to a younger roster built around players such as DeVonta Smith and Dallas Goedert, it's the biggest decision it faces moving forward. 

Aaron Rodgers expects his toe injury to be fully healed following the team's postseason bye week and told reporters Wednesday he hasn't needed any pain-killing shots recently.

"I haven't taken one in a number of weeks now, so that's been the most encouraging thing," he said. "Got through last week without doing one. It was just a pretty standard shot in the toe, very painful, a numbing agent. That helped get me through the games. The whole goal was to be able to not have to do that. It's been a few games without doing that. So I'm feeling good, practiced today, close to 100 percent but think I should be 100 percent by next week."

Rodgers has been playing through a fractured toe since late November, with ESPN's Adam Schefter reporting in early December the injury was expected to linger for the remainder of the season. 

But with the top-seeded Packers on a bye this weekend, Rodgers will have time to recuperate. 

"Rest," he said of his plans for the bye week. "Rest. I mean, I'm about to go home, and it's what, 12:22 [in the afternoon]? That's pretty frickin' sweet. So I'm going to enjoy this rest. I'm sure many people, hopefully it's not just me, I've still got a semi-messy house post-Christmas and New Year's, and it's the end of the season, so you don't have time for that. So I'm going to clean my house, I'm going to rest, I'm going to read some books, and I'm going to relax. That's what I'm getting out of this week."

Aaron Rodgers’ toe still must be feeling good because he’s out here for a bye-week practice.

David Bakhtiari given the day off for load management. pic.twitter.com/G5SSCHjDAJ

— Rob Demovsky (@RobDemovsky) January 12, 2022

The Packers won't know their divisional-round opponent until Monday, when the last of the Wild Card Round games wrap up. The Packers will play the lowest remaining seed, which could potentially play be the fourth-seeded Los Angeles Rams, fifth-seeded Arizona Cardinals, sixth-seeded San Francisco 49ers or seventh-seeded Philadelphia Eagles. 

They'll also have home-field advantage throughout the NFC playoffs. 

Facing Rodgers at Lambeau Field is no easy task, especially after he had another MVP-esque season, throwing for 4,115 yards, 37 touchdowns and just four interceptions while completing 68.9 percent of his passes. He missed just one game after being placed on the NFL's reserve/COVID-19 list. 

To this point, the toe injury hasn't kept him out of games despite the pain he endured. Now, it appears Rodgers will head into the postseason pain-free. 

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers activated linebacker Shaquil Barrett from the reserve/COVID-19 list and placed cornerback Richard Sherman on injured reserve on Tuesday, per ESPN's Adam Schefter. 

Sherman has been dealing with an Achilles injury, among other ailments, and only appeared in five games this season. 

Barrett was placed on the reserve/COVID-19 list last Friday. He was expected to miss his second straight game because of a knee injury, but head coach Bruce Arians told reporters he anticipated having the outside linebacker back for the postseason. 

The 29-year-old has been a staple in the Bucs defense since joining the team in 2019. He has 10 sacks, one interception, three forced fumbles, two fumble recoveries, 51 tackles, nine tackles for a loss and 22 quarterback hits. 

Barrett was influential in the postseason last year, racking up four sacks in the NFC Championship Game and Super Bowl combined and recording six pressures of Patrick Mahomes in Super Bowl LV.

Sherman, meanwhile, joined the Bucs in September. He started three games before being sidelined with several leg injuries that sidelined him until he returned for a Week 14 win over the Buffalo Bills. 

Didn’t go how I wanted it to but I’m grateful for the opportunity to strap it up again! Look forward to continuing this journey with my teammates and coaching my butt off. Thank you for all the support this season. The body gave all it had and I’m grateful.

— Richard Sherman (@RSherman_25) January 11, 2022

Sherman has one interception, one fumble recovery and 11 tackles this season. 

The Buccaneers enter the postseason as the NFC's second seed and will host the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday at Raymond James Stadium. Tampa Bay defeated Philadelphia 28-22 on the road in Week 6.  

New Orleans Saints quarterback Taysom Hill will undergo surgery on his foot after suffering a Lisfranc injury during Sunday's win over the Atlanta Falcons.

Saints head coach Sean Payton provided the update Monday but had no update on when the signal-caller will be able to return to full strength:

Saints’ HC Sean Payton told reporters that QB Taysom Hill is expected to undergo surgery for the Lisfranc injury he sustained to his left foot Sunday. Hill also is expected to need a smaller follow-up surgery, and there is no specific timetable for his return.

— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) January 10, 2022

The 31-year-old Hill completed 58.2 percent of his throws for 978 yards with four touchdowns and five interceptions in 12 games, including five starts at QB. He added 374 rushing yards and five scores in 2021.

The Saints (9-8) played three different starting quarterbacks this season. Jameis Winston started the first seven games, but he suffered a season-ending torn ACL in a 36-27 win against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Oct. 31.

The 5-2 Saints then fell to 5-6 as Trevor Siemian got the nod in the next four games. Siemian was thrust into a tough spot with the short-handed Saints missing many key players on offense, and the team predictably struggled.

New Orleans turned to Hill in hopes of providing a spark for the slumping Saints in a Thursday Night Football matchup versus the Dallas Cowboys.

He had 101 rushing yards, 264 passing yards and two touchdowns, but he also threw four interceptions (including a pick-six) in a 27-17 loss.

Hill had already been dealing with a partially torn plantar fascia, and he played through it during the Cowboys loss. If that wasn't enough to deal with, Hill also suffered a fluke mallet finger injury when his finger hit a Dallas Cowboy helmet on a follow-through on a throw. That ailment will require surgery.

Meanwhile, the Saints will have some key decisions to make about the future of their QB position in the offseason.