David Chao, MD
2 min read • July 26, 2022
Posted in
2021 record: 8-9 | 2022 FanDuel O/U win total: 10.5
The Baltimore Ravens had the unfortunate distinction of being one of the most-mentioned teams on Sports Injury Central during the 2021 NFL season.
The biggest remaining injury concerns on this team come on the offensive side of the ball: Ronnie Stanley’s multiple ankle surgeries and J.K. Dobbins' and Gus Edwards' recovery after significant knee injuries.
The Ravens did well replenishing other spots on the line, bringing in veteran right tackle Morgan Moses and rookie center Tyler Linderbaum, but Stanley’s availability after playing seven games over the last two years will be key to being a dominant offense once again.
Their defensive backfield presents more questions after starting corners Marlon Humphrey and Marcus Peters each suffered season-ending injuries in 2021. The elite coverage duo will return to a team with two new starting safeties in rookie Kyle Hamilton and free-agent signing Marcus Williams.
Sophomore strong-side stand out Odafeh Oweh is on track to be healthy Week 1 after a Demember foot injury and January shoulder, but the weak-side duo of Tyus Bowser and David Ojabo enter training camp with varying degrees of readiness for Week 1.
The 2019 MVP had the held-together-by-duct-tape Ravens at 8-4 when he went down with a right ankle injury in the second quarter of Week 14.
Despite insistence from John Harbaugh that he “had a chance to play” every week Jackson didn’t step foot on the field again and the Ravens finished 8-9, losing their final five games.
The bone bruise, however, is fully healed and Jackson will have a clean bill of health as camp opens.
The bigger concern from the Pro Football Docs is whether the 25-year-old can continue to log 150 rushing attempts every year and avoid future injuries, a pursuit that Stanley and Dobbins will play a role in.
Since signing a monster 5-year, $98.75 million extension in October 2020, Stanley has played in two games and suffered season-ending left ankle injuries in both of them.
The Pro Football Docs are concerned about his ability to return to an All-Pro level at the blindside after spending much of the last two years rehabbing from a November 2020 ankle dislocation and a subsequent October 2021 ligament repair surgery.
Baltimore has maintained that the 28-year-old will be ready for training camp, but the Docs contend that he won’t be ready to go until Week 1 against the Jets.
His two-thirds SIC score can rise once the Docs can see Stanley show strength and mobility on his left ankle.
Both Dobbins and Edwards were lost before Baltimore’s season began, and both are still months away from being fully recovered, according to the Pro Football Docs.
The first year back from a normal ACL tear, which is the case for Edwards, is always a hard one, not to mention the variable of LCL damage that will extend Dobbins’ rehab timeline.
The Pro Football Docs don’t believe that Dobbins or Edwards will be ready to play Week 1 and have tempered expectations for the duo’s season-long production, with Dobbins expected to perform at a 50% rate.
Marcus Peters suffered an ACL tear days before Week 1 and will be more limited in his first year back than his teammates in the offensive backfield, according to the Pro Football Docs, because of the importance of the range-of-motion that a strong ACL brings for that particular position.
In his last full season, the perennial All-Pro corner logged 52 tackles and four interceptions, and it would be fair to expect around half of that production.
Humphrey, who suffered a season-ending torn right pectoral muscle in Week 13, will be healthy and ready to produce at an elite level from the first snap.
The Ravens’ No. 14 overall pick, Kyle Hamilton, will be 10 months removed from the mild MCL injury that ended his 2021 season and has a clean bill of health.
On January 9, 2022, outside linebacker Tyus Bowser suffered a ruptured left Achilles. Three months later, the Ravens drafted another weak-side linebacker, David Ojabo, who suffered a ruptured Achilles on March 18.
Bowser has a chance to play Week 1, according to the Pro Football Docs, but has an equal chance to land on the PUP list when training camp opens and be back Week 4 or 5. If he plays from the start of the season, the Docs say he will be severely limited.
Ojabo faces a greater climb to the field as his injury was months later and he will have to recover physically while intaking Baltimore’s defensive playbook.
2021 record: 10-7, lost Super Bowl | FanDuel 2022 O/U win total: 9.5
Since Joe Burrow went down with a significant multi-ligament knee injury in November 2020, the Bengals have spent a 2021 second-round pick on guard Jackson Carman and brought in veterans La’el Collins, Alex Cappa and Ted Karras this offseason to shore up the rest of the line.
Burrow made an explosive combination with former teammate at LSU Ja’Marr Chase and now third year receiver Tee Higgins, who underwent shoulder surgery in March. Burrow, Chase, and company are likely to be a force for the foreseeable future.
On defense, Trey Hendrickson, who was a big free agent signing last summer, had another great season while dealing with various late-season injuries.
Hendrickson lost defensive lineman Larry Ogunjobi to the Steelers, but the Bengals return the rest of the defensive front that helped in the teams run through the AFC.
Linebacker Logan Wilson and safety Jessie Bates each missed OTAs, with Wilson in line to be back for training camp.
Burrow gradually improved as the 2021 season progressed, shedding any rust from his torn ACL, MCL, PCL, and meniscus, and hitting his stride in the final quarter of the season.
Burrow suffered an MCL sprain late in the season and aggravated the injury in the Super Bowl, but neither injury is concerning and won’t carry over into 2022, according to the Pro Football Docs.
Burrow said he is intending on shedding his knee brace, and his mobility and acceleration should improve in 2022, which will help limit the league-high 51 sacks he took in 2021.
Higgins suffered a left shoulder injury in Week 2, missed two weeks, and returned to put up a 1,000-yard season as an elite complement to the explosive Chase.
The third-year wideout underwent surgery to repair the injury, reported as a torn labrum, but the Pro Football Docs are confident he will be recovered by training camp.
Higgins brought in 92 receptions for 1,400 yards and eight touchdowns over 18 total games in 2021 while nursing a torn labrum and figures to be in line to repeat that production, if not exceed it this year.
Collins came to Cincinnati on a three-year deal after he was released by the Cowboys in March.
He's reportedly dealing with a back injury he suffered away from the team this offseason. The Pro Football Docs are confident he can make it back by the start of the season.
His partner on the right side of the line, guard Alex Cappa, missed most of OTAs after undergoing surgery on a core muscle injury. He is expected to be back and ready for training camp.
Cappa played 17 games for the Buccaneers last season with all 1,182 snaps coming at right guard.
Hendrickson was the Bengals’ major free-agent acquisition in 2021 and showed out for the cats, putting up a career-high 34 tackles and 14 sacks over 16 games.
The edge-rusher suffered a back injury in Week 14 and a concussion in the Wild Card win, but didn’t miss time for either issue.
Hendrickson has no structural damage from either injury, but both are issues that can create future problems, and he also carries a stinger injury he picked up in 2020 that figures into his score.
The 27-year-old pro-bowler should continue to be an elite pass-rusher, but is at risk of missing pockets of time with the stinger or back injuries.
Jessie Bates stands in a category of his own: he has no injury concerns, but has yet to suit up for the Bengals and intends to sit out training camp as he holds out for a long-term contract.
The fifth-year safety followed up a second-team All-Pro selection in 2020 with career lows in snaps (953), tackles (88), interceptions (one), and passes defended (four).
If he continues his holdout or is dealt, expect No. 31 pick Dax Hill to see snaps at safety with special teamer Brandon Wilson rounding out the unit.
2021 record: 9-7-1, lost Wild Card | FanDuel O/U win total: 7.5
Mike Tomlin and the Steelers are opening year one post-Ben Roethlisberger.
The two-time Lombardi hoister will be succeeded at QB by one of Mitchell Trubisky or rookie Kenny Pickett, or a mix of both, as Pittsburgh looks to notch its 19th consecutive winning season.
The offensive line protecting either Trubisky or Pickett will likely have an adjustment period as it returns only two starters but there are no immediate injury concerns for the group.
Pittsburgh lost embattled star receiver Juju Smith-Schuster, who missed most of last season after suffering a shoulder injury. Chase Claypool and Diontae Johnson each come in with a clean bill of health after relatively disappointing seasons for both young wideouts.
The Steelers added to the receiving corps by drafting Georgia product George Pickens with the No. 52 pick in the Draft a little over a year after he suffered a torn ACL in March 2021.
The 21-year-old rookie will still have a learning curve with only four limited games under his belt since the injury, but he should be close to healthy as camp opens.
On the other side of the ball, Cameron Heyward and T.J. Watt anchor the front-line once again after masterful seasons for both all-pro performers in 2021.
Former Bengals’ edge-rusher Larry Ogunjobi – who came over after failing a physical for a multi-year deal with Chicago – and veteran nose tackle Tyson Alualu are each returning from 2021 foot injuries.
Behind that group, the Steelers look to carry a clean bill of health for the projected top-end defense that includes Devin Bush, new addition Myles Jack, and ballhawk Minkah Fitzpatrick.
Rookie tight end Pat Friermuth endeared himself to veteran quarterback Ben Roethelisberger in 2021, notching 60 receptions for 497 yards and ranking second with seven touchdowns and third with 79 targets.
Friermuth will likely be treated with caution by the Steelers’ medical staff going forward, according to the Pro Football Docs, because each additional concussion he suffers exponentially increases the risk of brain damage and requires a longer absence.
Because his two concussions came virtually back-to-back, Pittsburgh may consider his next to be his second concussion, which generally needs a month-long absence.
The former 36th overall pick from the Jaguars signed a two-year, $16 million contract with the Steelers this offseason.
Jack will start at right inside linebacker for Pittsburgh, but his right knee remains a legitimate concern.
Before he was drafted in 2016, Dr. David Chao detailed the concerns about the osteochondral defect in his right knee. Those concerns remain and the lack of bloodflow leaves him at risk for further cartilage damage.
2021 record: 8-9 | 2022 FanDuel 0/U win total: TBD
The Browns have been the talk of the offseason after their vaunted pairing of Baker Mayfield and Odell Beckham Jr. came to an unceremonious end last season.
Mayfield is now in Carolina and the Browns await the NFL‘s punishment for their new $230 million quarterback Deshaun Watson.
Watson is the head of a new-look Browns' offense, but will likely miss a major portion of the season.
Cleveland has some injury concerns on the offensive side of the ball around Watson.
Two key offensive lineman that helped make up one of the NFL‘s most talented groups – Jack Conklin and Jedrick Wills Jr. – were limited by injuries in 2021.
Nick Chubb and Kareem Hunt missed 11 combined games last season, leaving undrafted rookie D’Ernest Johnson starting in key games, and continue to age at a position where age and production trend in opposite directions.
Amari Cooper comes over from Dallas as the new No. 1 receiver after posting his worst season with 68 receptions for 865 yards and eight touchdowns. He missed two games on the COVID-19/reserve list after playing through rib and hamstring injuries, but neither are serious and the 28-year-old will be healthy for training camp.
All-pro defensive end Myles Garrett had a rebound season after a bout with COVID-19 in 2020 significantly limited his health and production.
Garrett logged a pro-bowl campaign but suffered a groin injury that tampered with the final few games while the rest of the defense remained mostly healthy.
Rookie linebacker Jeremiah Owusu-Karamoah missed three games with a high-ankle sprain but returned to finish the season and figures to take a step in 2022.
The Browns secondary, ranked third in the NFL for the upcoming season by PFF, could be even better this season as safety Grant Delpit enters his second full season since tearing his Achilles in August 2020 and young cornerbacks Greg Newsome II and Greedy Williams go into their second and third seasons in the league, respectively.
Chubb and Hunt played in only seven games together in 2021 mostly due to back-to-back calf and high-ankle injuries for Hunt.
Chubb suffers from residual laxity and wear-and-tear arthritis due to a multi-ligament knee injury in 2015 but has proven he can play through the lingering ailments, rushing for 4,816 yards and 36 touchdowns on over five yards per attempt in his career.
Hunt, who was on pace for over 1,400 total yards before the calf strain in Week 6, is entering a contract season and has said he’d like to stay in Cleveland long-term.
Right tackle Jack Conklin collapsed on the field last November after suffering a ruptured right patella tendon, ending his 2021 season and postponing his debut in 2022.
The significant knee injury carries a 9-to-12 month recovery timeline, meaning the veteran tackle has a strong chance of beginning training camp on the PUP list as he continues his rehab, according to the Pro Football Docs. Expect about two-thirds of Conllin’s normal production in 2022 as he rehabs the second major knee injury of his career following a 2018 torn left ACL.
The Browns’ blindside, however, looks to be secure as Wills Jr. is healthy after working through an ankle sprain that limited him to only 77% of the team’s snaps.
The former No. 1 overall pick played all 17 games and made a career-high 51 tackles and 16 sacks in 2021 but finished the season with only one sack over his last four games after suffering a groin injury in Week 15.
The Pro Football Docs noted at the time that Garrett appeared limited after the injury, which can hinder a pass-rusher's production.
Written by David Chao, MD
Okay I’m tired of being quiet… come to me for your source @RapSheet because I might not even go on PUP because that’s how good my rehab is going and I’m damn sure going to be ready for week 1.
From NFL Now: #Ravens RB JK Dobbins is no sure thing for Week 1. He hasn’t had any setbacks. But his knee injury was a serious one, and Baltimore has no incentive to rush him back. They protected themselves with veteran Mike Davis, regardless.
