Sam Darnold

Injury Notes: Ryan, Darnold, Dickson, Doctson

It doesn’t sound like Matt Ryan will be out for long. Falcons coach Dan Quinn said the veteran quarterback will start when the team returns from a bye in Week 10 (via Michael David Smith of ProFootballTalk.com). The coach also said Ryan would likely play this weekend if the team had a game.

Ryan suffered an ankle injury that forced him to miss Sunday’s game, the first time he’s been forced out of the lineup in a decade. The quarterback missed a pair of games during the 2009 season due to turf toe.

With the Falcons sitting at 1-7, it wouldn’t be shocking if the Falcons were a bit cautious with Ryan. On the flip side, the organization gave the quarterback more than $100MM in guaranteed money last year, and the veteran has still been plenty productive this season.

Let’s check out some more injury notes from around the NFL…

  • We heard earlier today that Sam Darnold was set to play through his thumb injury, and the Jets quarterback elaborated on the issue. Darnold referred to the ailment as a “pain-tolerance thing … I should be fine,” according to ESPN’s Rich Cimini. Coach Adam Gase previously said that this is an injury Darnold will have to play through for the rest of the season.
  • Seahawks tight end Ed Dickson will practice this week, coach Pete Carroll told reporters (via ESPN’s Brady Henderson). Carroll added that Dickson is unlikely to make his season debut on Sunday The veteran has missed the first half of the season as he’s recovered from a knee injury. With Will Dissly out for the season, the offense will surely welcome back the tight end.
  • Vikings wideout Josh Doctson is set to return from injury this week, he told Darren Wolfson of 5Eyewitness News in Minny (via Twitter). The Redskins released the former first-rounder back in September, and he caught on with the Vikings soon after. The 26-year-old didn’t get into a game with Minnesota before landing on the IR with a hamstring injury.
  • Ravens cornerback Tavon Young underwent neck surgery, according to coach John Harbaugh (via Jeff Zrebiec of The Athletic on Twitter). Young suffered a neck injury prior to the season and was placed on IR. The 25-year-old signed a three-year, $25.8MM extension with Baltimore back in February. Meanwhile, rookie cornerback Iman Marshall returned to practice on Monday.

Latest On Jets’ C.J. Mosley

The Jets will be without linebacker C.J. Mosley for the next five or six weeks, head coach Adam Gase told reporters (Twitter link via Kimberly Jones of NFL.com). For now, the veteran will try to avoid surgery, but he’ll be re-evaluated towards the end of his estimated recovery timetable to determine next steps. 

The Jets inked Mosley to a five-year, $85MM deal this offseason. So far, that deal hasn’t panned out. Thanks to a groin injury, Mosley missed every game from Weeks 2-6. He returned for the Jets’ Week 7 drumming at the hands of the Patriots, but that only made the issue worse.

Now, the four-time Pro Bowler is looking at another extended absence. At minimum, he’ll miss games against the Dolphins, Giants, Redskins, Raiders, and Bengals. It’s possible that he’ll be back to face the Dolphins in a second matchup between the AFC East’s worst teams, but the Jets could opt to keep him on the sidelines if they are completely out of the playoff picture.

Mosley’s contract pays him an average of $17MM/year with $51MM guaranteed in total. Practically speaking, the aggressive cash flow of the deal will not allow the Jets to escape the deal until sometime after the 2021 season, when they can release Mosley to save $15.5MM against $3MM in dead money.

In some positive Jets news: quarterback Sam Darnold is expected to play through his left thumb injury. That means he’ll be under center for the Jets’ Sunday afternoon contest against the Dolphins in Miami.

AFC Notes: Dareus, Broncos, Green, Chiefs, Darnold

Marcell Dareus will undergo surgery today to repair a core muscle injury, sources tell Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter link). The defensive lineman is expected to miss 4-6 weeks for Jaguars.

Here’s more around the AFC:

  • Broncos coach Vic Fangio said it was “possible” that CB Bryce Callahan will miss the rest of the season, Nicki Jhabvala of The Athletic tweets. Callaham underwent stem cell treatment on his foot last month and the original projection was 4-to-6 weeks.
  • A.J. Green did not practice today for the Bengals and isn’t expected to play against the Rams in London, Ben Baby of ESPN.com tweets. LT Cordy Glenn will also not play in the contest.
  • DE Frank Clark (neck), DT Chris Jones (groin), LB Darron Lee (illness) and CB Kendall Fuller (thumb) all missed practice for the Chiefs today, Herbie Teope of Kansas City.com tweets. Patrick Mahomes is practicing again for the second-straight day.
  • Sam Darnold was limited in practice today, Brian Costello of the New York Post relays (Twitter link). Darnold was a non-participant for the Jets on Wednesday because of a toe ailment.

AFC East Notes: Jets, Mosley, Fitzpatrick

C.J. Mosley was one of the biggest free agent signings of the offseason. The Jets poached the inside linebacker from the Ravens for a record-setting contract. His career in New York has struggled to get underway due to injuries. Playing in just his second game of the season on Monday against the Patriots, Mosley re-aggravated his groin injury.

According to Rich Cimini of NFL.com, the organization is concerned about Mosley’s health. Head coach Adam Gase told reporters that “It might be more than the groin.” In fact, Gase’s comments suggested there is a certain level of uncertainty and that doctors are in the middle of a “deep dive” into his health.

Here is some more news from around the AFC East:

  • Jets starting quarterback Sam Darnold is limited and limping after a toe nail removal procedure, according to Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News. The report notes that the operation does not put Darnold at risk of missing any upcoming games, but the injury will limit him in practice. Darnold returned to action in Week 6 after missing over a month recovering from mononucleosis.
  • In a separate tweet, Cimini noted that there was no sign of offensive lineman Kelechi Osemele at Jets practice today. When Gase was asked the organization’s stance on Osemele, he refused to comment. Osemele has been refusing to practice with a shoulder injury that it appears the team believes he can play through. The team has since fined him and this case could very well be headed towards a grievance. Regardless, a recent update from Pro Football Talk has reported that Osemele plans to proceed with shoulder surgery this week.
  • The Dolphins hapless season has had few storylines worth following. However, after stepping in for young quarterback Josh Rosen, Ryan Fitzpatrick put up a strong performance against a very good Bills defense. Head coach Brian Flores told reporters that Fitzpatrick earned another start, according to Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald. Going forward, Fitzpatrick will prepare to play the Steelers next week on Monday Night Football.

Jets’ Sam Darnold Cleared To Play

Excellent news for the Jets, Sam Darnold, and Darnold’s spleen – the quarterback has been cleared to play for Sunday against the Cowboys, per an official club announcement. 

With that, Darnold will make his long-awaited return. The QB has been out of action since Week 1 with mononucleosis, rending him too weak to lift a pencil (at least, that’s what they say about mono) and too prone to serious spleen injury. He’ll return to the Jets just in the nick of time – the Jets are 0-4 under new head coach Adam Gase and are already dangerously close to putting themselves out of playoff contention.

These Jets aren’t built for a Super Bowl run, but Gang Green is at least hoping to take a step in the right direction this year. Even without Quincy Enunwa, the Jets may have enough offensive firepower in Darnold, running back Le’Veon Bell, and other key pieces to make some noise and brush up to the .500 mark. They’ve also got a stockpile of defensive talent, though they’ll need some better luck on the injury front in order to capitalize.

After Dallas, the Jets will have a second showdown with the Patriots, followed by games against the Jaguars and Dolphins.

Jets QB Sam Darnold Won’t Play Vs. Eagles

The Jets will be without quarterback Sam Darnold for a while longer. They were hoping for him to be cleared in time for this week’s game against the Eagles, but head coach Adam Gase says he won’t be able to play. 

[RELATED: No Timetable For Jets’ C.J. Mosley]

Darnold has been out with mono, which has badly affected his energy and potentially would put his spleen in jeopardy if he were to take the field. In the meantime, the Jets have turned to Luke Falk, a young and inexperienced QB. His last start dropped the Jets to 0-3, though that’s not necessarily his fault – there are problems abound in New York.

Darnold, the No. 3 overall pick in 2018, went 4-9 as a starter last year. He completed 57.7% of his throws in the Jets’ rocky offense and, so far, has only played in one game this season. In that losing effort against the Bills, he completed 28 of 41 passes for 175 yards with one touchdown.

QB Notes: Darnold, Allen, Bears, Colts

Previously targeting Week 5 for his return from mononucleosis, Sam Darnold did not hit a key checkpoint Monday. Doctors did not clear the Jets quarterback for full work Monday, Rich Cimini of ESPN.com notes. This scuttles some momentum for a Darnold return against the Eagles. Adam Gase said Darnold remains a “question mark” as to his Week 5 availability. While Cimini adds the second-year passer received partial clearance and can begin doing some non-contact work, he points out Gase did not sound optimistic about having Darnold back for the Jets’ next game. This points to Luke Falk receiving another start, with recently promoted backup Mike White being the Jets’ QB2 against the Eagles. Falk completed 12 of 22 passes for 98 yards and an interception against the Patriots.

Here is the latest from some quarterback situations around the league:

  • The Bears have yet to announce anything on Mitch Trubisky‘s injury, but Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets the team may be without its starting passer for a bit. Trubisky’s MRI revealed a dislocated left shoulder and a slight labrum tear, per Schefter, who adds the third-year QB is unlikely to face the Raiders in London. Trubisky is not expected to need surgery. Chase Daniel has proven to be a capable fill-in, having piloted the Bears to two wins in relief of Trubisky in the past two seasons. Trubisky missed two games with a right shoulder malady last season.
  • As expected, Josh Allen is going through the Bills‘ concussion protocol. Sean McDermott said backup Matt Barkley will prepare this week like he will start against the Titans. With the Bills having a Week 6 bye, it would make sense if the improving team held its starter out this week.
  • Chad Kelly made his way back to the Colts after initially being waived. Now on Indianapolis’ practice squad, the 2017 Mr. Irrelevant will still make a fair amount of cash in his third NFL season. Kelly will earn $33K per week, Mike Chappell of CBS4 tweets. That comes out to around $570K for the season. The NFL’s practice squad minimum is $8K weekly. Kelly is back on the developmental track, serving as the Colts’ de facto third-string quarterback behind Jacoby Brissett and Brian Hoyer.

Jets’ Sam Darnold To Return Week 5?

Jets quarterback Sam Darnold is “trending in the direction” to return to the field in Week 5, head coach Adam Gase announced. The only question, perhaps, is whether the Jets’ season will still be salvageable by the time he recovers from his bout of mono. 

[RELATED: Jets Doubt Trumaine Johnson’s Commitment]

The Jets, now 0-3, will have a bye week before taking on the Eagles, who are presently 1-2, in Week 5. For now, Luke Falk will run the offense in practice.

The Jets were, predictably, outclassed by the Patriots on Sunday. Still, Gase did not place the blame on the shoulders of Falk, so he’s a good bet to stay on the roster, even if Darnold is strong enough to lift a pencil or football.

Jets’ Sam Darnold Eyeing Week 5 Return

Jets quarterback Sam Darnold is eyeing a Week 5 return against the Eagles, Rich Cimini of ESPN.com tweets. Darnold, of course, missed last week’s contest with mono and is still feeling sluggish as he recovers. In a few weeks, doctors say he’ll be ready to take the field again. 

The Jets’ QB situation went from bad to worse on Monday night after Trevor Siemian‘s ankle folded like a Slinky. Siemian is out for the year, leaving young Luke Falk as the club’s de factor starter.

Darnold, the No. 3 overall pick in the 2018 draft, showed flashes of promise last year, though he finished out with only 17 touchdowns against 15 interceptions in 13 games. This year, the Jets were excited to see what he could do, but all they’ve seen so far was his start in a losing effort against the Bills.

At minimum, the Jets will be without the USC product for their contest against the Patriots on Sept. 22. On Oct. 6, after their early bye, they might just have Darnold back in action.

Sam Darnold Hopes To Return After Week 4

The Jets may not be without Sam Darnold for as long as initially expected. FOX’s Jay Glazer (Twitter link) caught up with Darnold and the QB told Glazer that he was feeling much better. Darnold, who was diagnosed with mono, said that he hopes the doctor allows him to re-join the team sometime this week.

Darnold’s been told it should take him 21 days to completely recover and with that timeline, the former No. 3 overall pick expects to return to Jets’ starting lineup after the team’s Week 4 bye.

It’s worth noting that previous reports have pegged this timeline as optimistic, instead, presenting Week 9 as a viable return date. However, hearing from Darnold (through Glazer) is encouraging.

The Jets have been uploading information and sending it to Darnold in hopes that he stays mentally sharp and up-to-date with the playbook. Yet, without game reps in Adam Gase’s offense, Darnold will certainly face an uphill battle in getting back up to speed once he returns.

Backup QB Trevor Siemian will start Monday’s game against the Browns and likely Week 3 vs. the Patriots.