Injury Expectations | Thursday Update | Week 9

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KEY THURSDAY MEDIA UPDATES

***It was a brutal Thursday afternoon. Deshaun Watson was added to the Houston injury report with a knee injury and shortly after reported to have suffered a torn ACL. His 2017 season is over. If the tear is isolated and there are no associated injuries, Watson could avoid the PUP list next summer with a smooth and successful rehab. Watson tore the opposite ACL in college.

***The 49ers will be placing Pierre Garcon on injured reserve with a fracture in his cervical spine. Fractures around the neck are always concerning but Garcon's injury is a stable injury to only one part of the ring of the spine and there are no displaced fragments. The early reports have Garcon missing 8-10 weeks and do not suggest a career-ending injury. Hopefully, that proves accurate.

***Zach Ertz was added to the injury report with a hamstring injury today. He was asked about the injury in the locker room after practice. On one occasion, Ertz said he wasn't sure of the severity of the injury. Another reporter described the interaction as a brief and mumbled response. It's too early to know whether Ertz will miss this week's game but the early notes don't look promising. It's not clear whether the Eagles plan to get an MRI or wait and see how Ertz responds overnight. Consider him a game-time decision at best until tomorrow's practice participation and media interviews.

***The Titans remain hopeful on Delanie Walker. And they've been willing to rest veterans all week long and still keep them heavily involved in their offensive game plan. That's enough for me to leave him listed as a game-time decision. However, bone bruises around weight-bearing areas are very difficult to play through. If Walker doesn't practice on Friday, I'd be worried he's closer to doubtful than probable.

***The 2017 Andrew Luck Saga finally ended after the Colts put him on injured reserve on Thursday. Unfortunately, the 2018 Andrew Luck Saga is just beginning and may be just as mysterious and nerve-wracking. Chris Ballard told reporters the consensus opinion after Luck visited multiple shoulder specialists was continued rehab. But it's difficult to trust the Colts' information after 11 months of uncertainty. I don't think arthroscopic surgery to better define the current status of Luck's shoulder or further rehab setbacks are entirely off the table. I wrote about some of the possible anatomic concerns earlier this week. 

Hopefully, Luck's shoulder responds to changes in the rehab program and we see Luck ready to participate in offseason workouts and back to his usual strength, stamina, and accuracy by camp next year. This is likely to be the most watched and questioned injury story of the 2018 offseason/preseason.

***Adam Schefter interviewed David Johnson this week on his podcast. Earlier in the week, Bruce Arians told reporters he doubted whether Johnson could return in 2017. Johnson, in an interview that may have been recorded before Arians' comments, told Schefter (1) he expected to have his cast removed in two weeks if cleared by his orthopedist, (2) he would need additional rehab to ensure return of enough strength and range of motion to play effectively, and (3) he did not plan to allow the playoff status of the Cardinals to impact the decision-making on his return.

That means it may still be another 4-6 weeks until Johnson can return -- i.e. Week 14-15 is still in play for a possible return if his rehab moves very smoothly. I think Johnson has too much upside to overreact to Arians' comments but I'm not as confident in Johnson's 2017 return as I was last week.

EARLY WEEK PRACTICE PARTICIPATION REPORT AND EARLY EXPECTATIONS

The Wednesday and Thursday practice participation reports are our first chance to see which players each NFL team are limiting in practice after the previous week's games. Players limited in mid-week practice aren't necessarily in danger of missing that week's game. But they all need to be watched closely.

*Note: Monday night players with asterisk practice Thursday/Friday/Saturday.

Note: Monday night players with asterisk practice Thursday/Friday/Saturday.

Follow me on Twitter @JeneBramel for breaking injury news and analysis throughout the week.