HEADLINES

Kingsley Enagbare

Injury Updates: Joseph, Hubbard, Enagbare

May 12th, 2024 at 9:14pm CST by Ely Allen

Third-year safety Kerby Joseph has become a menace over his first two seasons in the league, recording exactly 82 total tackles and four interceptions in each campaign for the Lions. The start of his third season in the NFL will be a bit delayed this offseason, according to Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press, as Joseph underwent hip surgery to fix an injury that he sustained in Week 2 last year.

Joseph initially missed two games due to the issue but eventually returned in Week 5 and played through the injury for the remainder of the season, including three playoff contests. Joseph told the media this week that he expects to be healthy by the start of training camp. This means that he’ll likely be a non-participant in any offseason activities leading up to camp.

Here are a couple of other injury updates from around the NFL:

  • Veteran Bengals pass rusher Sam Hubbard also underwent some offseason surgery, per ESPN’s Ben Baby. After a right ankle injury forced him to miss two games in 2023, Hubbard required “significant offseason surgery.” He told the media that he underwent “a complete deltoid reconstruction in his ankle and a TightRope procedure.” He initially believed the injury to be a simple sprain, but a fluoroscopy at the end of the season revealed a much more severe situation. He played through the issue to help a Joe Burrow-less Bengals team have a better chance to win but saw his quality of play decline as a result. Hubbard is now feeling fortunate to have made it through the procedure with no permanent damage.
  • Lastly, Packers defensive end Kingsley Enagbare is hoping to be ready for the team’s 2024 season opener after initial beliefs that he had torn his ACL in January. According to Rob Demovsky of ESPN, those initial concerns were quelled when Enagbare’s ACL injury “turned out to be less serious” than previously thought. He never needed to undergo offseason surgery and now stands a chance at being back in form in time for the start of the regular season.

Packers Fear Kingsley Enagbare Suffered ACL Tear

January 16th, 2024 at 12:05pm CST by Adam La Rose

The Packers pulled off an upset win over the Cowboys on Sunday, allowing their season to continue. Green Bay will likely be shorthanded on the edge the rest of the way, however. Kingsley Enagbare is believed to have suffered a torn ACL, NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reports.

The 2022 fifth-rounder logged a notable workload as a rookie, particularly after Rashan Gary suffered an ACL tear of his own. Enagbare wound up starting seven games and shouldering a 45% defensive snap share last year. He flashed potential with three sacks and eight quarterback hits. Even with Gary back to full health, Enagbare remained a key member of the Packers’ edge contingent this campaign.

The latter appeared in all 17 regular season contests for the second straight year, starting four. His playing time remained roughly on par with that of his rookie campaign, and posted similar numbers as a result. Enagbare registered two sacks, 37 total tackles, 11 QB pressures and a forced fumble. He added a pair of quarterback hits in Green Bay’s wild-card victory, and his loss will be felt on a Packers defense which faces a stiff challenge this weakened against the 49ers.

The Packers will move forward with Gary, Preston Smith and first-round rookie Lukas Van Ness in the pass rush room. Van Ness has found himself behind Enagbare on the depth chart with respect to playing time, but four of his five total sacks (regular and postseason combined) have come in the past seven games. He could be in line for an increased workload against San Francisco if further testing confirms Enagbare will indeed miss the remainder of the campaign.

Should that be the case, the 23-year-old will turn his attention to a lengthy recovery process in an attempt to heal in time for Week 1 of the 2024 season. Enagbare’s absence will leave Green Bay without a key rotational presence on the defensive front for the divisional round, an unwanted development for the team as it tries to continue an unexpected postseason run.

Packers Eyeing Veteran Edge Addition?

June 25th, 2022 at 2:02pm CST by Adam La Rose

The Packers have made a number of changes to their edge rush group this offseason, but another addition may be in the cards. The team “might be looking for upgrades” at the position, according to ESPN’s Rob Demovsky. 

Green Bay lost Za’Darius Smith in free agency to the Ravens, it appeared at first, but he ultimately signed with the Vikings. With the two-time Pro Bowler gone, it became increasingly important that the Packers had re-signed fellow veteran pass rusher Preston Smith at the onset of free agency.

The latter is set to maintain his starting role in 2022. He will be paired with 2019 first-rounder Rashan Gary, who took a significant step forward last season. While that tandem should be in line to replicate their playing time and production from 2021, depth has been a talking point throughout the offseason.

To little surprise, Green Bay added Kingsley Enagbare in the fifth round of the draft to help address that need. The South Carolina product never had more than six sacks in a single college season, but he is listed in Demovsky’s projected depth chart as the No. 3 edge rusher on the roster. Another name included is that of Randy Ramsey, who played almost exclusively on special teams in 2020 as a rookie, and missed the entire 2021 campaign due to an ankle injury.

With very little experience behind Smith and Gary, a veteran signing would make plenty of sense. Some of the top free agents still available include Jason Pierre-Paul, Trey Flowers and, depending on the outcome regarding his UFA tender, Justin Houston. Green Bay currently ranks in the top-10 in the league in cap space, so a short-term, low-cost addition would also be financially feasible. Whether they choose to make one in the coming days or weeks could be one of the most important roster decisions still facing the team.

NFL Draft Pick Signings: 5/6/22

May 6th, 2022 at 10:45pm CST by Sam Robinson

Here are the latest draft pick signings:

Baltimore Ravens

Chicago Bears 

Green Bay Packers

Kansas City Chiefs

Philadelphia Eagles

Seattle Seahawks

  • DB Tariq Woolen (fifth round, Texas-San Antonio)
  • LB Tyreke Smith (fifth round, Ohio State)
  • WR Bo Melton (seventh round, Rutgers)
  • WR Dareke Young (seventh round, Lenoir-Rhyne)

Washington Commanders