No one likes to see injuries in the NFL, but they’re an unfortunate reality of pro football.
As teams ramp up for the start of the 2024 regular season, which health issues will most heavily affect rosters, depth charts, and game planning? Let’s go around the league and look at the most critical injury situations in the NFL.
NFL Injuries To Watch in 2024
Here are the NFL injury designations you need to know:
- IR: injured reserve
- PUP: physically unable to perform
- NFI: non-football injury
All three designations will require a minimum four-game absence in 2024.
Nick Chubb, RB, Cleveland Browns
- Injury: Torn MCL, damaged ACL
- Status: PUP
Chubb was never expected to be available for Week 1 after suffering a gruesome knee injury last September. The Browns will allow the veteran running back to ramp up before activating him later this season.
Jerome Ford will be Cleveland’s RB1 while Chubb is sidelined. The Browns also kept Pierre Strong Jr. on their roster, while they’re expected to re-sign D’Onta Foreman after cutting him on Tuesday.
As Ian Rapoport of NFL Network noted, Chubb needs to be active for 12 games this year to collect a $225,000 roster bonus.
Jonathon Brooks, RB, Carolina Panthers
- Injury: Torn ACL
- Status: NFI
The Panthers are playing the long game with their rookie second-round pick. Brooks tore his ACL in November, and Carolina isn’t rushing to get him back on the field.
Brooks will remain on NFI into the regular season. He hasn’t practiced this offseason, and his return timetable remains unclear. Although early post-draft reports suggested Brooks would be available for Panthers training camp, he never came close to hitting that schedule.
Chuba Hubbard should remain Carolina’s lead back after rushing for 902 yards a year ago. Miles Sanders, whose contract kept him on the Panthers’ roster, is the club’s RB2.
Keaton Mitchell, RB, Baltimore Ravens
- Injury: Torn ACL
- Status: PUP
Mitchell looked electric in his 2023 rookie debut, averaging an absurd 8.4 yards per carry on 47 attempts before tearing his ACL in Week 15. He’s been on the PUP list all offseason and will remain there as the regular season begins.
While Mitchell can theoretically be activated in Week 5, the timing of his injury makes that unlikely. The Athletic’s Jeff Zrebiec recently reported that Mitchell is not expected back until the latter portion of the season.
Free agent signing Derrick Henry will handle most of Baltimore’s carries in 2024. He’s led the NFL in attempts in four of the past five years, which might not leave much work for fellow Ravens RBs Justice Hill and Rasheen Ali.
Hollywood Brown, WR, Kansas City Chiefs
- Injury: Sternoclavicular dislocation
- Status: Active roster
Brown went down with a shoulder injury on Aug. 11, immediately putting his availability for Week 1 in doubt. Kansas City kept him on the active roster on Tuesday rather than placing him on short-term IR, indicating the club doesn’t believe Brown will miss much time at the beginning of the season.
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Still, head coach Andy Reid was non-committal on Brown when asked about his WR’s status earlier this month. While noting that other Chiefs like DT Chris Jones and G Joe Thuney would be ready for the season opener against the Ravens, Reid admitted Brown was still a question mark.
Rashee Rice and first-round rookie Xavier Worthy will start in 11 personnel, regardless of whether Brown plays in Week 1. Justin Watson figures to see most of Brown’s vacated snaps, while recent addition JuJu Smith-Schuster could also be a factor.
Josh Downs, WR, Indianapolis Colts
- Injury: High-ankle sprain
- Status: Active roster
Downs went down after taking a friendly-fire hit from a Colts defensive teammate in early August. High-ankle sprains generally have a 4-6 week timeline, so Downs is very much questionable for Indy’s Week 1 game against the Houston Texans.
Colts head coach Shane Steichen said this week that while he hopes Downs will be ready for the start of the season, he’s not putting a timetable on Downs’ return.
If Downs can’t go, Indianapolis will likely use a three-WR set of Michael Pittman Jr., Alec Pierce, and second-round rookie Adonai Mitchell. The latter has been seeing slot time in place of Downs in recent practices.
Odell Beckham Jr., WR, Miami Dolphins
- Injury: Unspecified
- Status: PUP
No one really knows what type of injury Beckham is dealing with. He had an unspecific procedure over the offseason that the Dolphins knew about when they signed him. He hasn’t practiced this summer and will be out for at least four games on PUP.
“There’s not a scenario where he’s going to just jump out there with a cape on without practicing at all,” Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel said. “I think for me, it’s like every other player; you make sure that they progress, and you get them back on the field as fast as their body allows them to, and then you allow the comfort level of the player to dictate when he plays.”
Miami only used three-WR sets on 43.6% of its plays in 2023, the third-lowest rate in the league. When they do deploy 11 personnel, Braxton Berrios and sixth-round rookie Malik Washington look like the club’s best candidates to fill OBJ’s shoes.
Kendrick Bourne, WR, New England Patriots
- Injury: Torn ACL
- Status: PUP
Bourne is still recovering from the torn ACL he suffered last October and was fully expected to be sidelined into the regular season. The 29-year-old re-signed with New England this offseason on a three-year, $19.5 million deal ($5.5 million guaranteed).
Bourne’s career-best season came in 2021 when he posted a 55-800-5 line for the Pats. He put up 406 yards and four scores last season before going down.
DeMario Douglas, Ja’Lynn Polk, Javon Baker, and K.J. Osborn are New England’s top four wideouts, while Tyquan Thornton, Kayshon Boutte, and Jalen Reagor also made the roster.
T.J. Hockenson, TE, Minnesota Vikings
- Injury: Torn ACL and MCL
- Status: PUP
Hockenson injured his knee in December, making Week 1 an unlikely possibility. However, he impressed the Vikings’ staff at training camp, leading to rumors that he could be available for the start of the season.
But Hockenson remained on PUP at Tuesday’s cutdowns, so he’ll have to miss at least four games before making his 2024 debut. Minnesota kept three tight ends — Josh Oliver, Johnny Mundt, and Nick Muse — on its initial 53-man roster.
Tyler Higbee, TE, Los Angeles Rams
- Injury: Torn ACL and MCL
- Status: PUP
Higbee suffered the same injury as Hockenson and will begin the 2024 season on the same injured list.
While reports around Hockenson have been optimistic, the same can’t be said for the news on Higbee. He’ll miss at least four games, but the Rams don’t expect him to return at that point, as The Athletic’s Jourdan Rodrigue reported.
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Los Angeles gave former Seattle Seahawks TE Colby Parkinson a three-year, $22.5 million free agent deal, even though he’s never topped 400 receiving yards in a season. Davis Allen, an athletic freak whom the Rams added in the fifth round of the 2023 draft, might also be in the TE mix.
Christian Barmore, DT, New England Patriots
- Injury: Blood clots
- Status: NFI
Barmore is the only player on our list not dealing with a traditional NFL injury. He was diagnosed with blood clots and is out indefinitely.
The most important issue is Barmore’s long-term health. From a roster perspective, the Patriots kept him on the non-football injury list but gave him a designation to return. While that doesn’t necessarily mean Barmore will play in 2024, it leaves the option on the table.
Barmore is arguably New England’s best defensive player. In April, He signed a four-year, $84 million extension ($31.8 million guaranteed).
Bradley Chubb, EDGE, Miami Dolphins
- Injury: Torn MCL
- Status: PUP
Chubb will join Beckham on Miami’s PUP list for at least the first four games of the season. Given that he’s only eight months removed from tearing his ACL, Chubb wasn’t expected to be ready for Week 1.
Fortunately, fellow Dolphins pass rusher Jaelan Phillips (Achilles) recently returned to practice and will not be on an injured list to start the season. Still, Miami will likely need a significant contribution from first-round rookie EDGE Chop Robinson, who will be asked to fill Chubb’s void.
Uchenna Nwosu, EDGE, Seattle Seahawks
- Injury: Sprained MCL
- Status: Active roster
Nwosu’s knee injury occurred in Seattle’s preseason finale. That proximity to the regular season might’ve forced the Seahawks to consider an IR stint for their standout pass rusher, but Nwosu made the club’s initial 53-man roster.
Technically, Seattle could still put Nwosu on injured reserve before the season starts. But the fact that he is on the roster likely means the Seahawks are optimistic about Nwosu missing fewer than four games.
Dre’Mont Jones, Boye Mafe, Derick Hall, and recent trade acquisition Trevis Gipson will front Seattle’s EDGE rotation until Nwosu is healthy.
Dre Greenlaw, LB, San Francisco 49ers
- Injury: Torn Achilles
- Status: PUP
Greenlaw is still rehabbing the torn Achilles he suffered during the 49ers’ Super Bowl loss. The veteran linebacker has reportedly looked better this summer than he did during the spring, potentially signaling he’ll only be gone for a minimum of four games.
Greenlaw is entering the final season of a two-year, $16.4 million extension. He projects as one of 2025’s best free agent linebackers, assuming he can get healthy in 2024.
San Francisco gave former Green Bay Packers LB De’Vondre Campbell a one-year, $5 million pact this offseason. He’ll play alongside Fred Warner until Greenlaw returns.
Matt Milano, LB, Buffalo Bills
- Injury: Torn biceps
- Status: IR
Milano missed most of the 2023 campaign after fracturing his leg in Week 5 and will be sidelined for the majority of this year after suffering a torn biceps in mid-August. Buffalo placed him on injured reserve today but left open the possibility he could return later this season.
Fellow linebacker Terrell Bernard wore Buffalo’s green dot after Milano went down last year and could be on the verge of a true breakout campaign. He’ll likely be joined in the starting lineup by 2023 third-round pick Dorian Williams, who logged a 20% snap rate as a rookie.
The Bills could also lean into Dime defensive personnel, with only a single LB — Bernard — on the field.
According to TruMedia, Buffalo did not play a single snap of Dime personnel from Weeks 1-5 in 2023. However, after Milano’s Week 5 injury, the Bills used Dime packages on 22.8% of their plays, the fifth-highest rate in the league.
DaRon Bland, CB, Dallas Cowboys
- Injury: Stress fracture in left foot
- Status: IR
Bland is expected to miss six to eight weeks after imaging revealed a foot fracture earlier this week. Now on short-term IR, Bland will be sidelined for at least four games. At that point, Dallas can re-evaluate whether he’ll be ready to play in Week 5.
New Cowboys DC Mike Zimmer was counting on Bland as a critical piece of his unit after the 25-year-old led the NFL with nine interceptions — five of which he returned for TDs — in 2023. For his efforts, Bland earned first-team All-Pro honors and votes for Defensive Player of the Year.
With Bland out, the Cowboys could try slot corner Jourdan Lewis on the outside opposite Trevon Diggs. Fifth-round rookie Calean Carson and recent trade acquisition Andrew Booth Jr. are also candidates to start for Dallas.