No one likes to see injuries in the NFL, but they’re an unfortunate reality of pro football. Fortunately, some players who began the 2024 NFL season on various injured lists are nearing returns.
First, let’s go over some terminology. 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 required a minimum four-game absence. With Week 5 approaching, which returning players will make the most significant impact?
Jonathon Brooks, RB, Carolina Panthers
- Injury: Torn ACL
- Status: NFI
The Panthers are playing the long game with their rookie second-round pick. Jonathon Brooks tore his ACL in November, and Carolina isn’t rushing to get him back on the field.
As Panthers head coach Dave Canales said on Monday, Brooks is now in the “final stages” of returning to game action. However, Carolina does not plan to open the Texas product’s 21-day practice window this week.
Jonathon Brooks is an instinctive runner, who's also a receiving threat and not afraid to block. 🏈#HookEm | #KeepPounding pic.twitter.com/rSemZmnZlr
— Pro Football Network (@PFN365) April 27, 2024
Brooks was the first RB off the board in April’s draft after posting 1,425 total yards and scoring 11 touchdowns in 11 games for the Longhorns in 2023. While the Panthers will want to see what Brooks can do, he’ll have to battle veteran RB Chuba Hubbard for playing time.
Through four weeks, Hubbard has rushed for 296 yards while ranking second among running backs in success rate (50.9%) and ninth in EPA per rush (0.03)
Nick Chubb, RB, Cleveland Browns
- Injury: Torn MCL, damaged ACL
- Status: PUP
Nick Chubb was never expected to be available for Week 1 after suffering a gruesome knee injury last September. However, the four-time Pro Bowler appears to be nearing a return.
The Browns will open Chubb’s 21-day practice window on Wednesday, head coach Kevin Stefanski confirmed today. While Chubb will not face the Washington Commanders on Sunday, Cleveland’s roster decision signals some optimism from the club. A midseason return seems more likely for the 28-year-old.
Jerome Ford has handled the lion’s share of the Browns’ backfield workload, but he’s yet to top 65 rushing yards in a single game.
Clyde Edwards-Helaire, RB, Kansas City Chiefs
- Injury: PTSD
- Status: NFI
The Chiefs have had to get creative after losing starting RB Isiah Pacheco to a broken fibula in Week 2. Carson Steele led Kansas City’s backfield in Week 3 but gave way to recent free agent signing Kareem Hunt. Samaje Perine, whom the Chiefs added at final cutdowns, is still in the mix as a passing-down option.
Clyde Edwards-Helaire will further complicate things when he returns to practice this week. The former first-round pick re-signed with K.C. on a one-year deal this offseason and could stake a role in the club’s backfield as soon as Week 5.
Kendre Miller, RB, New Orleans Saints
- Injury: Hamstring
- Status: IR
Although multiple reports have suggested Kendre Miller is ready to begin practicing this week, Saints head coach Dennis Allen said Monday he isn’t sure if the 2023 third-round pick will return for Wednesday’s session.
Few NFL head coaches have been more willing to publicly deride a player than Allen has with Miller. Even if Miller returns soon, it seems like he’ll have to work his way back into the coaching staff’s good graces.
Still, New Orleans needs a complement to Alvin Karama. Current RB2 Jamaal Williams ranked dead last in rushing yards over expectation in 2023 and is fifth-worst to begin this season.
Keaton Mitchell, RB, Baltimore Ravens
- Injury: Torn ACL
- Status: PUP
Keaton 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 was on the PUP list all offseason and will remain there as the regular season begins.
#Ravens RB Keaton Mitchell is GONE 💨
The East Carolina product is putting on for all of the undrafted rookies❕
— Pro Football Network (@PFN365) November 12, 2023
While Mitchell can theoretically be activated in Week 5, the timing of his injury makes that unlikely. The Athletic’s Jeff Zrebiec reported in August that Mitchell is not expected back until the latter portion of the season.
Derrick Henry had led the NFL in rushing attempts in four of the past five years and has posted 350 yards over the past two weeks. He doesn’t necessarily need any help in Baltimore’s backfield, but Mitchell could add another dimension when he eventually returns.
Odell Beckham Jr., WR, Miami Dolphins
- Injury: Unspecified
- Status: PUP
No one really knows what type of injury Odell Beckham Jr. is dealing with. He had an unspecific procedure over the offseason that the Dolphins knew about when they signed him. He never practiced over the summer and spent the first four games of the season on PUP.
Head coach Mike McDaniel suggested last week that Beckham would be ready to practice as soon as Week 5 — and that appears to be the case. NFL Network reported today that the Dolphins will active OBJ’s window this week.
Miami’s offense hasn’t functioned without Tua Tagovailoa, who’s on IR with a concussion. But the Dolphins have been searching for a WR3 to work behind Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle, and Beckham could fit that mold.
Kendrick Bourne, WR, New England Patriots
- Injury: Torn ACL
- Status: PUP
Kendrick 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 Patriots. He put up 406 yards and four scores last season before going down.
New England expects Bourne to begin practicing this week. Once he’s fully healthy, Bourne should quickly become a staple in three-WR sets for the Patriots.
T.J. Hockenson, TE, Minnesota Vikings
- Injury: Torn ACL and MCL
- Status: PUP
T.J. 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.
Still, Hockenson remained on PUP at final roster cutdowns, so he had to miss at least four games before making his 2024 debut.
Maybe only a couple more weeks for T.J. Hockenson. pic.twitter.com/tVyXnVS63u
— Kevin Seifert (@SeifertESPN) September 22, 2024
Hockenson could be activated this week, but head coach Kevin O’Connell suggested Monday that Minnesota could wait. The Vikings play in London in Week 5 before taking their bye in Week 6; they could theoretically wait until after that two-game stretch before opening Hockenson’s practice window.
Taking the long view is a lot easier when you start 4-0, of course. Dropping in a weapon like Hockenson — who posted a 94-960-5 line in just 15 games last season — into a Minnesota offense that’s already firing on all cylinders is a scary proposition for the rest of the NFC.
Abraham Lucas, OT, Seattle Seahawks
- Injury: Unspecified knee injury
- Status: PUP
Seattle’s offensive line is a defined weakness and ranks 31st in pass-block win rate in 2024. However, Geno Smith’s 7.2% sack rate ranks just 16th in the NFL, largely because he’s a master at evading pressure within the pocket. Pro Football Focus’ charting suggests Smith hasn’t been responsible for any of the 36 pressures that have come his way.
Abraham Lucas’ backup at right tackle, veteran George Fant, has played just 13 snaps for the Seahawks this season while battling his own injury. New RT Stone Forsythe is hardly the only problem along Seattle’s front five, but his 7.7% pressure rate allowed ranks 10th-worst among tackles with at least 100 pass-blocking snaps.
Seahawks head coach Mike Macdonald hasn’t discussed Lucas’ status with reporters since August, so it’s unclear if the 2022 third-round pick is on track to return soon.
Bradley Chubb, EDGE, Miami Dolphins
- Injury: Torn ACL
- Status: PUP
Bradley Chubb joined Beckham on Miami’s PUP list for the first four games of the season and is expected to stick on the injured list for longer than his WR teammate.
Although Chubb is roughly nine months removed from tearing his ACL, Dolphins DC Anthony Weaver said this week that Miami does not have a timetable for the veteran pass rusher’s return.
Weaver certainly wants Chubb back, but the Dolphins have been getting after quarterbacks even with him sidelined. Miami has generated pressure on 43.1% of opposing dropbacks when not blitzing, the second-highest rate in the NFL through three weeks.
Dre Greenlaw, LB, San Francisco 49ers
- Injury: Torn Achilles
- Status: PUP
Dre Greenlaw is still rehabbing the torn Achilles he suffered during the 49ers’ Super Bowl loss. The veteran linebacker reportedly looked better this summer than he did during the spring. Last week, head coach Kyle Shanahan said San Francisco hopes Greenlaw can return around midseason.
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 free agent LB De’Vondre Campbell a one-year, $5 million pact to play alongside Fred Warner. Campbell has struggled in coverage, allowing at least five catches or 50 yards in every game from Weeks 1 to 3 before missing three tackles on Sunday.
DaRon Bland, CB, Dallas Cowboys
- Injury: Stress fracture in left foot
- Status: IR
DaRon Bland was expected to miss six to eight weeks after fracturing his foot at the end of August. Now on short-term IR, Bland has only been sidelined for roughly six weeks.
Cowboys head coach Mike Zimmer said last week that Bland was scheduled to expand his on-field work as he works his way back from surgery.
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 have primarily relied on fifth-round rookie Calean Carson to start opposite Trevon Diggs. Carson was sidelined in Week 5, forcing Dallas to lean on summer trade acquisition Andrew Booth Jr. and practice-squad elevation Amani Oruwariye.