WESTFIELD, Ind. — Indianapolis Colts Coach Frank Reich couldn’t wait to start working with quarterback Carson Wentz on the field.

He’ll have to wait at least five more weeks – perhaps longer.

Just minutes after running his first training camp practice, Reich announced Wentz would miss five to 12 weeks with a left foot injury. Wentz was injured during Thursday’s practice and spent several days debating recovery options before scheduling surgery for Monday afternoon in Indianapolis.

“The next couple days were a discussion over whether we can leave it (the bone fragment) in there. We can leave it in there, try to manage it, see how it holds up over the year,” Reich said. “We wanted what was the more predictable outcome. It was like what’s the most predictable outcome? Let’s get the piece out of there and begin the rehab process.”

Team officials believe they’ll have a better timeline a couple weeks into Wentz’s recovery.

Offensive coordinator Marcus Brady said Wentz left practice early Thursday after feeling a twinge in his foot.

What doctors found, Reich said, was an old high school injury that Wentz was likely unaware of. They told the Colts that Wentz could play through the pain but Indy decided to play it safe.

Indy’s season opener, Sept. 12 against Seattle, is almost six weeks out. A 12-week absence would keep Wentz out of seven games.

“I’m always optimistic,” Reich said. “But just knowing Carson, I’m optimistic, knowing this is the type of injury you don’t have to be pain-free to play with. I know Carson’s level of toughness. I know he can play with pain.”

BROWNS: Nick Chubb signed a three-year, $36.6 million contract extension with the Cleveland Browns, an indication of the team’s regard for his skills as an elite running back and his quiet, unassuming leadership.

GIANTS: New York added depth to the running game in case star Saquon Barkley isn’t ready for the start of the regular season coming off a major knee injury.

The Giants announced the re-signing of Alfred Morris. The 10-year veteran played nine games for Coach Joe Judge last season and finished second on the team in rushing with 238 yards.

“I’ve been waiting for someone to let me get my foot back in the door,” Morris said Monday after watching practice.

That’s what happened last year to the well-traveled veteran. He had a career-low one carry in 2019 and wasn’t invited to a training camp in 2020. So he worked out at his home in Pensacola, Florida, and waited.

The Giants called in late September after Barkley was placed on injured reserve with a torn right ACL. The call wasn’t for a spot on the roster. He spent a month on the practice squad getting ready. He was activated to the game roster three times, the last in mid-November, and never left after that.

TITANS: First-round draft pick Caleb Farley took his first training camp snaps.

The cornerback and this spring’s 22nd overall draft selection was activated from the non-football injury list, where he’d been designated while rehabilitating from a pair of back surgeries.

Farley took part in some early individual drills and received plenty of sideline guidance from veteran defensive backs Jackrabbit Jenkins and Kevin Byard. He didn’t participate in team drills but will ramp up his conditioning as camp continues.

News of Farley’s debut was dampened somewhat by the early departure of seven-time Pro Bowl wide receiver Julio Jones from practice. Jones went up to grab a Ryan Tannehill pass in the corner of the end zone but couldn’t hold onto the ball and fell to the ground. He got up slowly, then walked gingerly to the sideline, perhaps favoring a left ankle. He later went back to the locker room.

BILLS: General Manager Brandon Beane told The Associated Press he is giving himself before the start of the regular season to negotiate a long-term extension with quarterback Josh Allen before putting off discussions until next year.

Beane wouldn’t specify an exact date in saying the two sides have agreed to suspend talks before Week 1 in September so as not to serve as a distraction for the fourth-year starter, whose rookie contract runs through the end of the 2022 season.

“Josh and I are in lockstep on that,” Beane said during a brief interview after practice. “There will be no negotiating in-season. At some point we will press the pause button.”

The Bills are into their second week of practice and open the regular season hosting Pittsburgh on Sept. 12.

VIKINGS: Minnesota started their second week of training camp with a severe shortage of quarterbacks, with Kirk Cousins and two of his backups sidelined under COVID-19 protocols.

Head coach Mike Zimmer has not made any secret of his frustration with those players who have so far declined to get vaccinated for the disease.

“I just don’t understand. I think we could put this thing to bed if we all do this. But it is what it is,” Zimmer said, after Cousins, Kellen Mond and Nate Stanley were placed on the NFL’s reserve list for COVID-19.

The trio was first held out of practice on Saturday night, with only third-year player Jake Browning remaining on the roster to run the offense. The Vikings also signed quarterback Case Cookus for emergency help on Monday before resuming their work on the field on Monday.

Quarterbacks coach Andrew Janocko and offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak have even been solicited for warmup throws to help lighten the load on Browning, who spent his first two seasons on the practice squad. He completed some eye-catching passes under the lights at the team’s practice facility and was playfully doused with water by teammates once the session was over.

EAGLES: Wide receiver DeVonta Smith is out indefinitely with a knee sprain.

The reigning Heisman Trophy winner was listed as week-to-week, so his status for Philadelphia’s preseason opener against Pittsburgh on Aug. 12 is uncertain.

WASHINGTON: Star defensive tackle Jonathan Allen was held out of practice because of a tight hamstring.

CARDINALS: The Arizona Cardinals have brought back veteran defensive lineman Corey Peters on a one-year deal, the team announced.

A three-time captain for the Cardinals, Peters has been an anchor in the middle of the team’s defensive line for the past five seasons. The 11-year veteran played nine games last year before a knee injury forced him onto the injured reserve list.

RAMS: Quarterback Matthew Stafford stopped passing after hitting the thumb of his throwing hand on the helmet of a defensive player near the end of Monday’s practice. Coach Sean McVay is hopeful it is nothing serious.

Stafford was looked at by trainers but did not resume throwing in practice. He was able to grip a towel and his helmet, which is why McVay was hopeful.

Copy the Story Link

« Previous

College football: Annual coaches’ luncheon returns to kick off season

Next »

MLB roundup: Yanks’ Cole tests positive for COVID-19