This article is part of our Injury Analysis series.
The Dallas wide receiver will rejoin the team after signing a four-year $136 million deal. He is expected to take part in the team's three practices this week, though it is likely the team handles his return cautiously. Throwing Lamb unsystematically back into the mix could be detrimental to his health. A sudden spike in training intensity and load over a short duration of time can negatively influence injury risk, especially with lower extremity soft tissue injuries. Fortunately, Lamb doesn't have a lengthy history of muscle strains though he did miss time in the summer of 2022 with a mild hamstring strain. There should be enough time between now and Week 1 against the Browns for him to knock off an rust and adequately prepare for the regular season. He remains a top option on draft day, though his inherent injury risk will likely be elevated for the start of the year. Lamb's teammate Brandin Cooks remains limited by lingering knee soreness and an off the field personal issue.
Lamb's return coincides with the loss of Bland who is expected to miss six to eight weeks with a stress fracture in his left foot. Surgery will be needed to address the break. Based on the description, it seems likely Bland suffered a break to his fifth metatarsal. Located on the outside aspect of the foot, the fifth metatarsal fracture has become increasingly common among NFL receivers with names like Dez Bryant, Julio Jones, and
The Dallas wide receiver will rejoin the team after signing a four-year $136 million deal. He is expected to take part in the team's three practices this week, though it is likely the team handles his return cautiously. Throwing Lamb unsystematically back into the mix could be detrimental to his health. A sudden spike in training intensity and load over a short duration of time can negatively influence injury risk, especially with lower extremity soft tissue injuries. Fortunately, Lamb doesn't have a lengthy history of muscle strains though he did miss time in the summer of 2022 with a mild hamstring strain. There should be enough time between now and Week 1 against the Browns for him to knock off an rust and adequately prepare for the regular season. He remains a top option on draft day, though his inherent injury risk will likely be elevated for the start of the year. Lamb's teammate Brandin Cooks remains limited by lingering knee soreness and an off the field personal issue.
Lamb's return coincides with the loss of Bland who is expected to miss six to eight weeks with a stress fracture in his left foot. Surgery will be needed to address the break. Based on the description, it seems likely Bland suffered a break to his fifth metatarsal. Located on the outside aspect of the foot, the fifth metatarsal fracture has become increasingly common among NFL receivers with names like Dez Bryant, Julio Jones, and Deebo Samuel sustaining the injury in recent seasons. Defensive players are rarely featured here, but Bland was a pivotal component of a Dallas defense that scored six touchdowns, including an NFL record five interceptions returned for a touchdown by Bland. There was bound to be some natural regression with the Cowboys defense, but this injury is a big blow to a surprisingly thin secondary.
The 29-year-old tight end remains limited by an oblique strain suffered last week. The obliques are two pairs of muscles located on either side of the rib cage. The obliques on each side are divided into two groups, the external and the internal obliques. Together they work to complete trunk rotation. Strains to any of these muscles can prove limiting as nearly every athletic motion involves trunk rotation to some degree. Furthermore, these injuries are slow to heal and easily aggravated. There's enough time left between now and the start of the season to think Goedert will be fine. However, he will need to return to the practice field and log reps before I would feel comfortable investing in Goedert as my top tight end option.
Turf Burns
Ja'Marr Chase: Chase and the Bengals remain at an impasse regarding a new contract extension but the fourth-year wideout has been present at recent team practices. The move isn't a direct sign that contract talks are progressing but should be seen as a bit of an olive branch from Chase's camp. The decision to participate in practices could also help minimize the potential uptick in injury risk discussed earlier regarding Lamb. Chase should retain his first round ADP and remains in contention for the top wide receiver spot.
Nick Chubb: The Browns running back is expected to begin the season on the PUP list, keeping him out of Cleveland's first four games. Chubb suffered a multi-ligament knee injury last season that required multiple surgeries to mend, including tears of his MCL and ACL. Jerome Ford will start for the Browns with D'Onta Foreman and Pierre Strong rounding out the backfield.
Tyreek Hill: The Dolphins wide out is nursing an unspecified thumb injury. He has been held out of recent practices, but the team continues to insist the approach is purely precautionary. It doesn't appear his Week 1 availability is in doubt, but the wide receiving corps in Miami is struggling with injuries with Jaylen Waddle and Odell Beckham both limited by undisclosed injuries.
Sam LaPorta and Jahmyr Gibbs: Both Lions players returned to practice over the weekend after missing time with hamstring injuries. They will both gradually work back up their workload over the next two weeks in anticipation of playing in Week 1. However, both will carry an elevated degree of risk to begin the year.
Christian Kirk: Another positive report this time out of Jacksonville as Kirk is expected to resume practice later this week. He has missed two weeks due to a calf strain though it was always considered mild. He should be available for the Jaguars in Week 1 barring an unforeseen setback.
Puka Nacua: The Rams welcomed Nacua back to the practice field Monday. Nacua has missed time with bursitis in his knee but has steadily improved over the last three weeks. Bursitis can be a limiting injury but is easily managed and is unlikely to be a serious concern moving forward. Continue to treat Nacua as a top-10 wide receiver.
David Njoku: The Browns tight end is expected to return to practice Tuesday after missing time with an undisclosed injury. Njoku is one of many players, including Tyler Lockett, Davante Adams, and Mark Andrews that have missed time with an "undisclosed" ailment. While training camp and the preseason often result in vague injury descriptions, regular season injury reports often provide clarity to these ambiguous situations. In the meantime, do your best to ignore the lack of descriptors and focus more on what the player can do at practice. Positive progression is a good indication the injury is improving and the player has a chance at returning in time for Week 1.
Curtis Samuel: Samuel remains out with turf toe, but coach Sean McDermott remains confident his receiver has a "good chance of being back" In time for Week 1. Turf toe is the term used to describe a sprain of the big toe often sustained when the digit is hyperextended. While turf toe sounds more like an inconvenience than an injury, the condition can very painful and limiting. Turf toe can also be slow to heal and is often aggravated by positions that demand lots of sudden starts and stops. McDermott's confidence is encouraging to hear but tread cautiously before over investing in Samuel.
