NFL injury roundup: Cecil Shorts, Kenny Stills ruled out Saturday
Wideouts down! The Jacksonville Jaguars will be without Cecil Shorts against the Philadelphia Eagles and the New Orleans Saints will be without Kenny Stills against the Atlanta Falcons.
Andrew Weber-USA TODAY Sports
Jacksonville Jaguars wide receiver Cecil Shorts has been ruled out of the team's season opener against the Philadelphia Eagles. Shorts was listed as questionable on Friday's injury report due to a hamstring injury. The "questionable" designation is typically supposed to represent a 50/50 chance for a player to actually play, but it's still a little surprising to see the team confirm that he'll miss the game on Saturday.
Shorts initially planned to travel with the team and test his hamstring out prior to the game, but given the nature of hamstring injuries and the high percentage of re-injury if players don’t rest it long enough, this move does make sense. Shorts is not a game-breaking receiver by any means, but he was quarterback Chad Henne’s top target.
Stills ruled out
The New Orleans Saints have ruled out wide receiver Kenny Stills for the team's opener against the Atlanta Falcons on Sunday. Stills is dealing with a quad injury and was listed as questionable on the injury report on Friday. Stills is a deep threat who is expected to do good things with Drew Brees throwing him the football this season, but his downgrade to "out" means he wasn't going to be a game-time decision.
Ellington will be game-time decision
Arizona Cardinals running back Andre Ellington will be a game-time decision for Monday's opener against the San Diego Chargers, according to Darren Urban of the team website. Ellington "did enough" on Saturday to give head coach Bruce Arians confidence that he could realistically play on Monday, writes Urban.
Ellington missed practice on Friday, but returned to action on Saturday as a limited participant. The running back seems primed for a solid season, but this injury complicates things in Week 1, at least. Last season, the Cardinals were very cautious with him and limited his touches to try and keep him healthy. With this foot injury, we might see him get very few carries if he does play.
Giants not saying who will start at RG
New York Giants offensive lineman Brandon Mosley was back at practice on Friday, once again in a limited fashion. When asked about whether or not Mosley would be able to play, head coach Tom Coughlin said "We'll see. It will be day-to-day, but we'll see," according to Kieran Darcy of ESPN New York. Mosley is set to be the starting right guard, but a back injury has his status for Monday's game in doubt.
If Mosley can't go, then John Jerry would likely get the start in his spot. Whatever happens, the Giants are probably in trouble. They had one of the worst offensive lines in the NFL last season, and though they tried to address it this offseason, they were unsuccessful. There's a question mark at every spot on the line, and this injury just makes things worse.
Newton “on target” to start
Carolina Panthers quarterback Cam Newton had offseason ankle surgery, and then he fractured multiple ribs during the preseason. His ribs aren't close to being recovered, and will probably be hurting him for some time -- but it's an injury that quarterbacks typically play through. The Panthers will take on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday, and while Newton's status has been somewhat up in the air, he's suffered no setbacks.
In fact, Newton seems on target to start against the Buccaneers, according to Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports. Newton took “full reps” with the Panthers on Saturday. It’s still possible he doesn’t play a full game if Tampa Bay’s defense manages to get to him early and often, but it’s more likely Newton stays in the pocket more and doesn’t elect to run the ball much.
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