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Injury Rounds

Clyde Edwards-Helaire | Ankle injury | August 20 | Awaiting Information | Probable Week 1

Edwards-Helaire left midway through the Chiefs' opening drive with an ankle injury.

Andy Reid told reporters the injury was not believed to be a high-ankle sprain but the Chiefs did not reveal any other specifics. Beat reporters and Ian Rapoport both mentioned the possibility of a sprain to the inside of the ankle. That prompted speculation that Edwards-Helaire might have a 6-8 week rehab and recovery.

While possible, I think it's too soon to definitively fear a longer timeline.

The short version: Video wasn't conclusive. I didn't see a violent mechanism suggesting a high-grade injury. There's reason to be hopeful Edwards-Helaire is more day-to-day than week-to-week while we await more information.

The show-your-work version:

Sprains to the inside of the ankle involve the deltoid ligament. It's a wide ligament, important for the stability of the ankle joint, and less commonly injured than the ligaments on the outside of the ankle. Many times, in football players, injuries to the deltoid ligament occur along with a high ankle sprain. And like all ligament sprains, recovery is dependent on the severity of injury -- more ligament fibers injured means a longer recovery period.

Mid-grade sprains to the outside ligaments are usually day-to-day injuries. Mid-grade high ankle sprains commonly take 3-4 weeks or longer to heal. A mid-grade deltoid ligament sprain is even more variable -- some injuries may be 2-3 week recoveries, others may require 6-8 weeks.

Edwards-Helaire did not look limited before his final play. Both feet were twisted underneath his body on his last run but there was no violent injury mechanism on video. While judging injury severity from one angle without more information is speculative at best, there's no obvious indication of a longer-term injury.

So, while reports of an "inside" ankle sprain are notable and Edwards-Helaire is likely to miss practice time, it's too soon to expect him to miss regular-season time. I'll update further if the team provides more detail.

What You Need to Know

• Clyde Edwards-Helaire will have further evaluation this week for an ankle injury but there's reason for Week 1 optimism
• Stefon Diggs could return to practice this week after missing time with a knee injury
• Carson Wentz will return to throwing drills this week and is pushing to return for Week 1

Follow Up Appointments

Dak Prescott | Right latissimus muscle strain | July 28 | Day-to-Day | Probable Week 1

Adam Schefter commented about Prescott last week and sent fans and analysts into a frenzy by saying the Cowboys' quarterback wasn't "fully back" and "may not be all season long."

Schefter has impeccable sources and it's reasonable to take his commentary seriously as he's likely hearing something important. However, it's not clear whether Schefter is hearing Prescott's ankle is slightly sore and could limit his mobility in ways that affect his play or just marginally and we're unlikely to notice. It's unlikely Prescott -- who has been cleared to throw 50 consecutive passes in individual route-running drills -- is going to struggle with the latissimus strain for the next 3-4 months.

The Cowboys remain optimistic about Prescott's Week 1 availability. Mike McCarthy told reporters Prescott would have started the team's August 21st preseason game had it been a regular-season game.

Don't expect Prescott to play any preseason snaps but he's still on track for Week 1.

Justin Jefferson | Left AC sprain | August 6 | Day-to-Day | Probable Week 1

Jefferson was back to limited practices last week and was cleared to speak with the media. Jefferson told reporters his range of motion has improved but he's still dealing with soreness. He expects the injury to linger for some time. Still three weeks before the season, expect the Vikings to keep Jefferson away from contact as long as possible. He is expected to be ready for Week 1.

Amari Cooper | Right ankle arthroscopy | January 2021 | Returned to practice | Probable Week 1

Cooper returned to team drills in practice and played 13 snaps in last week's preseason game. He told reporters he "felt good" in his first live action. It's reassuring to see him cleared for full contact this far in advance of the start of the regular season. Expect a full workload in Week 1.

Fast Track News and Notes

Carson Wentz is reportedly "very antsy" to escalate his rehab. It's a good sign but the Colts consistently say Wentz won't be cleared to rehab or return to contact until the medical staff is certain he's healthy enough to avoid re-injury. Expect him back to throwing routes soon, but Week 1 remains questionable.

Stefon Diggs continues to miss practice with a knee injury. Sean McDermott was not specific about Diggs' injury but sounded more optimistic recently. The Bills reportedly expect Diggs back to practice this week.

Players increasing practice participation:

• TE Darren Waller -- returned to practice
• RB DAndre Swift -- advanced to contact team drills with first team
• RB Zack Moss -- returned to practice and played in Aug 21 preseason game
• WR DeVonta Smith -- returned to practice and played in Aug 19 preseason game
• RB Melvin Gordon -- limited with groin strain, returning to team drills at end of the week

Players not practicing with new injuries:

• WR Tyreek Hill -- hamstring strain during practice, held out of preseason game
• WR TreQuan Smith -- returned to practice last week after two week absence, again missing time with undisclosed injury

Injured Players on Active Roster

Injured Players Not on Active Roster

DECIPHERING THE ALPHABET SOUP OF INJURY LISTS

Players not ready for camp practices are placed on one of two lists – Physically Unable to Perform (PUP) or Non-Football Injury/Illness (NFI).

Physically Unable to Perform (PUP)

Active/PUP – Preseason only list. Once a player participates in any part of a scheduled training camp practice, they are ineligible for this list. Players can be activated from this list at any time. This list is commonly used for veterans still recovering from injury and those who fail conditioning tests before camp begins.

Reserve/PUP – Regular season only list. Players still on Active/PUP at the end of camp are eligible to move to Reserve/PUP. Players cannot practice with the team until after Week 6. Teams then have six weeks to evaluate the player before moving to the active roster or to season-ending injured reserve.

Non-Football Injury / Illness (NFI)

Active/NFI – Preseason only list. Once a player participates in any part of a scheduled training camp practice, they are ineligible for this list. Players can be activated from this list at any time. Only veterans with a non-football related injury or rookies injured before the NFL draft are eligible for this list.

Reserve/NFI – Regular season only list. Players converted from the Active/NFI list to the Reserve/NFI list are out for the entire season.

Injured Reserve – Return Designation

Each NFL team can return two players to the active roster from injured reserve. Teams are not forced to designate this player at the time of the move to injured reserve. Players designated to return can begin practicing six weeks after being placed on injured reserve and are eligible to return to the active roster eight games after being placed on injured reserve. This rule allows a team to continually evaluate the rehab and recovery of their injured players and provides roster flexibility should teams have multiple key injuries early in the season.

Follow me on Twitter @JeneBramel for breaking injury news and analysis throughout the off-season.