Arizona Cardinals running back David Johnson (31) walks off the field with medical staff for X-rays during an NFL football game against the Detroit Lions in Detroit, Sunday, Sept. 10, 2017. (AP Photo/Jose Juarez)
Week one has come and gone in the NFL regular season and there are already loads of injuries to noteworthy players including David Johnson, Allen Robinson and Danny Woodhead among others. In this edition of the Roundtable, the DC Sports staff debates which injury will have the greatest impact this season.
Matt Barresi – Staff Writer
Call this a spinzone or a hijacking, but I’m going to speak to the injury which had the biggest impression on me, rather than what might have the most ramifications for the season, which was Chicago Bears wide receiver Kevin White going down with a fractured shoulder blade.
The No. 7 selection in the 2015 draft just cannot stay healthy, having missed his true rookie year, getting four games last year and just a portion of one this year. I have been a fan of White’s since he came on the scene with West Virginia and I thought he was going to be special. I love watching big receivers make big catches, the Randy Moss or Mike Evans type and I thought White had all that potential.
He’s essentially 6’3” and ran a 4.35 forty-yard dash in the NFL combine. The man is bigger, longer, a better jumper and more athletic than his 2015 top ten selection contemporary Amari Cooper. Yet White has been unable to showcase his potential for stardom while Cooper appears on the precipice of it, if not already there. White will get his fourth shot at a “rookie” year next season but I don’t know that he will ever reach the heights he seemed physically destined to reach and as a fan of his, this last injury could not have been more disheartening.
Luke Swanson – Campus Correspondent
It might not be a season-ending injury, but it’s worth wondering what the heck is going on with Andrew Luck and the Colts in Indianapolis. Luck has had a nagging shoulder injury all offseason and the Colts had plenty of time to find a suitable backup for the season opener.
The Colts were rumored to be interested in finding a fill-in for Luck in August, but ended up settling with what they had: Scott Tolzien, a journeyman quarterback who’s played in a total of six games in his five prior NFL seasons, and former undrafted free-agent quarterback Stephen Morris.
Tolzien ended up winning that very sad quarterback competition, and the Colts proceeded to get rocked by the Rams week one. The Rams are one of the worst teams in the league, missing their best player, and still beat the Colts 46-9. This left no doubt as to the huge role Luck has played in the Colts’ recent success.
Now, the Colts have ruled out Luck for their week two matchup against the Cardinals and ESPN’s Ian Rapoport has reported that Luck might be out as long as a month. Scrambling for a quarterback late in the preseason, the Colts traded for Jacoby Brissett, presumably off that big performance he had against Florida State in 2014 with NC State. If Brissett doesn’t pan out and Luck stays out for as long as rumored, it could be a very painful season for the Colts and their fans.
Morgan Levitt – Campus Correspondent
Arizona Cardinals’ running back David Johnson’s injury may have hurt your fantasy team just as much as it hurt him. He was one of the number one picks in the draft and is said to be out for an “extended period of time” with a severe wrist injury.
The Cardinals coach Bruce Arians had even taken precautions in the preseason to limit Johnson’s play time in case of injury considering he was one of his top players. Only to have Johnson be taken out in the first week.
As far as recovery, it’s not looking so good. It’s rumored Johnson may need surgery for his wrist and is likely to be put on the injured reserve list.
Although it is only week one and things change quickly, if it were my team with Johnson as my starting running back I wouldn’t be expecting to pull in big points anytime soon.