• Justin Herbert practices without a walking boot: The Chargers' franchise quarterback appears to be on track for the season opener against the Las Vegas Raiders on Sept. 8.
• Tyreek Hill is dealing with a hand injury: The Miami Dolphins' All-Pro wide receiver was seen wearing a protective brace on his right hand, according to the Miami Herald’s Barry Jackson.
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Estimated Reading Time: 4 minutes
Bills WR Curtis Samuel week-to-week with turf toe
Buffalo Bills wide receiver Curtis Samuel is week-to-week with a turf toe injury, according to head coach Sean McDermott.
Bills players now out multiple weeks, per HC Sean McDermott:
🏈QB Mitch Trubisky (knee)
🏈WR Marquez Valdes-Scantling (neck)
🏈TE Quintin Morris (shoulder)Players considered week to week:
🏈S Damar Hamlin (hamstring)
🏈Curtis Samuel (turf toe)— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) August 19, 2024
The timing of the injury leaves Samuel questionable for Week 1, which is roughly three weeks away. The former Ohio State Buckeye signed a three-year, $24 million contract with the Bills in March.
Samuel has been a consistently reliable option in the passing game, recording at least 600 receiving yards in all but one season since 2019. He was limited to just five games in 2021 due to groin and hamstring injuries. The best season of his career came in 2020 with the Carolina Panthers when he earned a 77.1 PFF overall grade, ranking 27th out of 127 qualifying receivers.
The Bills will also be without wideout Marquez Valdes-Scantling for the next few weeks after he suffered a neck injury in last week’s preseason game against the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Cardinals QB Kyler Murray “leaps and bounds” ahead of where he was last season
Arizona Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray is “leaps and bounds” ahead of where he was last season from both a mental and physical standpoint, according to head coach Jonathan Gannon.
Jonathan Gannon: Kyler Murray "leaps and bounds" ahead of last year. https://t.co/9OqXOr8Dx9
— ProFootballTalk (@ProFootballTalk) August 20, 2024
Murray missed the first nine weeks of last season while recovering from a torn ACL suffered in 2022. The Cardinals struggled mightily without their franchise quarterback, going 1-8 and scoring 25-plus points just twice.
Murray was noticeably rusty when he returned to action but played well down the stretch, earning an 86.4 PFF overall grade over the final two weeks of the season, ranking fourth among quarterbacks.
Whether Murray can return to Pro Bowl form is one of the stories to watch this upcoming season. The team drafted wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. fourth overall and has one of the more promising tight ends in Trey McBride, so the talent is there for the Cardinals’ offense to succeed in 2024.
Chargers QB Justin Herbert sheds walking boot, returns to practice
Los Angeles Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert returned to practice just a few days after shedding his walking boot.
Justin Herbert practicing for the first time since July pic.twitter.com/HGYmytzg3x
— Daniel Popper (@danielrpopper) August 19, 2024
On Aug. 1, the Chargers said Herbert would be week-to-week with a plantar fascia injury in his right foot suffered during a practice session. The Chargers' franchise quarterback appears to be on track for the season opener against the Las Vegas Raiders on Sept. 8.
Herbert has been one of the top quarterbacks in the league since being drafted sixth overall in the 2020 NFL Draft. He’s finished as a top-15 quarterback by PFF grade in each of his first four seasons, with 2021 (90.0 overall, fourth among 37 qualifying QBs) being his best season.
Expectations have never been higher for Herbert and the Chargers with new head coach Jim Harbaugh on board this season. The team’s over/under wins total for the season currently sits at 8.5 on FanDuel Sportsbook.
Dolphins WR Tyreek Hill dealing with hand injury
Miami Dolphins All-Pro wide receiver Tyreek Hill was seen wearing a protective brace on his right hand, according to the Miami Herald’s Barry Jackson.
NEW from @OmarKelly and me: Tyreek Hill wearing a protective brace on right hand. Many injury updates from Dolphins practice that just endedhttps://t.co/g9oejlbEHI
And who impressed and who didn't today. PLUS Curtis Bolton's incredible three minute stretch just now— Barry Jackson (@flasportsbuzz) August 20, 2024
Hill was reportedly in uniform but not catching passes at Tuesday’s practice. Head coach Mike McDaniel will provide more clarity on the injury during his Wednesday press conference. According to Jackson, the Dolphins have 20 players currently dealing with injuries with Hill being the latest of the bunch.
Hill has been the most productive wide receiver in the NFL since being traded to Miami in 2022. He’s posted back-to-back seasons with 119 receptions and 1,700+ yards, scoring 20 receiving touchdowns in that time. Since the start of 2022, Hill’s PFF grade of 94.2 is the highest among all wide receivers and his 105 explosive pass plays (15+ yards) is 10 more than any other player.
Jaylen Waddle would lead the wide receiver unit if Hill were to miss any time in season. Waddle’s best game last season came with Hill out of action in Week 15 against the New York Jets, as he caught eight of nine targets for 142 yards and a touchdown and earned a 92.8 PFF grade.
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