Injury Rounds: Preseason Week 1

Photo: USA Today Sports

For the rest of the preseason, I'll have a Monday article updating the injury status of players around the league with quick-hitting articles during the week on any major injury stories that occur.

INJURY ROUNDS

Ryan Tannehill | Partial left ACL Tear | likely out for season

Initial reports from media members in Miami seemed confusing. There was concern for a PCL sprain then a report of a structurally normal MRI. Without going into an extended blow-by-blow, Tannehill was eventually diagnosed with an aggravation of the partial ACL tear he suffered last year. Though it may scar, the anterior cruciate ligament generally does not heal. The important distinction here is between a structurally intact knee joint and a stable knee joint.

Most partial ACL tears require reconstruction because the knee is unstable, i.e. feels unstable to the person performing the joint exam or feels unstable to the player. Tannehill expressed confidence in his knee throughout the offseason. Unfortunately, in what was likely one of the first times he stressed the knee at speed, the joint buckled. Even if the MRI had shown no change in the ligament, that instability is critical.

Continuing to play on an unstable knee joint risks further injury to surrounding ligaments and cartilage. It's not a risk Tannehill is likely to take a second time. As of Sunday night, he was still undergoing evaluation and seeking opinions. But the Dolphins have signed Jay Cutler and you should expect to hear Tannehill's decision to have ACL reconstruction shortly. Surgery will end his season but will be best for his long-term health.

Cam Newton | Rotator Cuff Repair / Shoulder Soreness | PS W1 | Day-to-Day

The Panthers are giving Newton time off from throwing after he experienced soreness in his surgically repaired shoulder last week. Don't consider this a setback as much as an annoying hiccup. Soreness is expected as players rebuild conditioning. It's extremely difficult to approximate live game conditions in practice. 

Stephania Bell was able to get Carolina medical staff on the record last week. If you trust their response -- and it was specific enough to be trustworthy -- they don't expect Newton to miss much time.

Here's the quote:

"He had a little bit of soreness in the morning before practice and rather than trying to push through it, rather than ignore it, we thought the best thing to do was to shut it down and take a break. He's been doing very well. He's had a bunch of days back to back and we've slowly increased his throws without any issues. Now there's a little bit of soreness so we pulled him back. He also saw Dr. Connor. Dr. Connor agreed with the program and we're just going to slowly build him back up."

Newton felt good after throwing on Sunday. But the next 24-48 hours are key. If his soreness returns and the team feels they must slow his throwing program down again, Newton may be higher risk than the team initially believed. More this week as needed here.

Will Fuller | Clavicle fracture | PS W1 | 8-12 Weeks

Fuller will have surgery to repair a broken collarbone. The Texans immediately set a timetable of 8-12 weeks, which is a little longer than the usual recovery time frame we usually hear. It's possible Fuller hits the optimistic end of that expectation. Expect to hear reports of followup imaging studies in mid-late September, as the team assesses how well Fuller is healing.

Donte Moncrief | AC sprain | Day-to-Day

The grade of Moncrief's injury has not been reported. Regardless, early in the preseason, the Colts should be expected to be very cautious with Moncrief. Allowing him to rest an extra 7-10 days could mean the difference between an injury that nags Moncrief or is easily aggravated and a full recovery.

Corey Davis | Hamstring strain | PS W1 | Week-to-Week
Josh Doctson | Hamstring strain | PS W1 | Week-to-Week 

Davis had an MRI, which suggested a concern for a mid-grade injury or higher. The team has said he'll not practice for at least a week. Hamstring strains are easy to aggravate during the first 7-10 days after a player returns. Expect the Titans to take extra time to rehab Davis and then make sure he reconditions carefully.

Doctson's weekend injury is still being evaluated. That likely means an MRI. With luck, Doctson will not have a high grade injury and will follow the same rehab plan Davis will be following.

Others of note: Matt Forte strained a hamstring and has missed multiple days of practice. Sterling Shepard suffered a low ankle sprain and is day to day. Quincy Enunwa has a neck injury of unknown severity and is under further evaluation. Riley Reiff isn't practicing with a back condition. George Iloka has a knee sprain and will reportedly miss 3-4 weeks. Dominique Easley has a torn ACL and will miss the season. Malcolm Smith has a torn pectoral tendon and will likely miss the season. Forrest Lamp (ACL tear) and Nico Siragusa (knee dislocation ~ ACL/MCL/PCL tears) are out for the year with knee injuries.

FOLLOWUP APPOINTMENTS

Jordan Reed | Toe sprain | 2016 | week-to-week

Reed was evaluated by Dr. Robert Anderson last week. There's concern any time a player sees a specialist in person, as it means the specialist wants to examine the player and have a face-to-face conversation about treatment options. Reed's visit went well enough -- there were no indications surgery was discussed and the team felt it was safe to let Reed to talk to the media for the first time since camp opened.

But Reed remains on the PUP list. And his interview provided a concerning note -- this toe sprain has been nagging Reed since last season and was bothersome enough to have Reed try a stem cell injection recently. It was this stem cell injection, according to Reed, that precipitated the most recent flare. Reed is back to catching passes to the side but there's no indication he's ready to come off the PUP list yet.

Jay Ajayi | Concussion | Late July | day-to-day

Ajayi was formally diagnosed with a concussion last week. I don't expect to see him return to practice for 7-14 days. If his absence stretches further than that, his return gets much more cloudy.

Others of note: Joe Flacco's herniated disc is reportedly responding to rehab and hopeful to return to individual work soon. James Conner was diagnosed with a low grade AC sprain and is considered day-to-day. Reshad Jones, Tyler Lockett, Jason Verrett, Mario Edwards, and Bruce Irvin were removed from their team's PUP list last week and are cleared to practice.

INJURED PLAYERS ON ACTIVE ROSTER

INJURED PLAYERS NOT ON ACTIVE ROSTER

Check back for more injury analysis throughout training camp and follow on Twitter @JeneBramel for breaking injury news, commentary, and analysis of injury news around the NFL