The past week has been an especially harrowing one in the NFL's season-long war of attrition.
Since Carolina Panthers second-year star Kelvin Benjamintore his ACL last Wednesday, the Green Bay Packers have lost Pro Bowl receiver Jordy Nelson, the Miami Dolphins saw starting safety Louis Delmas go down and the Dallas Cowboys are reeling from top cornerback Orlando Scandrick's season-ending knee injury.
Now the Washington Redskins are without outside linebacker Junior Galette, who suffered a torn Achilles' tendon in Wednesday's practice.
Washington's coaching staff had big plans for Galette, who was New Orleans' top pass rusher with 22 sacks over the past two seasons. One teammate told NFL Media's Albert Breer that a still rusty Galette was so quick off the line that he would be three yards upfield before the offensive tackle took his first kick step.
The Redskins will turn to Trent Murphy and Preston Smith, four weeks after the team's brass decided the recent second-round draft picks weren't quite ready for prime time.
With so many notable players smote by the football gods, it's natural to wonder if injuries are becoming more prevalent.
Since the offseason began, 25 players have sustained ACL injuries. That's not far off the offseason and preseason marks of 2013 (31) and 2014 (22).
Considering each of the 32 teams has 90 players under roster, that means fewer than one percent have been lost for the season.
Here's what else we learned about the status of injured players on Wednesday:
- If Johnny Manziel had even a small window of opportunity to push Josh McCown for the Browns' quarterback job, it slammed shut this week. Coach Mike Pettine strongly suggested that a sore throwing elbow will keep Manziel out of the all-important third preseason game, which functions as an audition for the regular season.
- We are monitoring the status of several key players leading up to Week 1. Jadeveon Clowney, the top pick in the 2014 NFL Draft, is on track to play in the season opener, per Houston Texans coach Bill O'Brien.
"I trust it now," Clowney said, in reference to his surgically repaired knee. "I'm just ready to play football."
- New England PatriotsSuper Bowl hero Julian Edelman, on the other hand, remains uncertain if he will suit up for the NFL Kickoff game after suffering a lower leg injury early in camp. On the bright side, Edelman returned to wide receiver drills on Wednesday.
- Arizona Cardinals wide receiver Michael Floydhasn't graduated to catching footballs since dislocating three fingers earlier this month, but coach Bruce Arians is optimistic that his deep threat will be available for Week 1 versus the New Orleans Saints.
- Dolphins first-round pick DeVante Parker has yet to practice since undergoing foot surgery in June, though beat writers sense that the rookie wideout is getting close to a return. Parker told reporters that he's still unsure if he will be ready for the season opener.
- The Philadelphia Eagles won't know until next week if tight end Zach Ertz will have recovered enough from hernia surgery in time to face the Atlanta Falcons. When asked if Week 1 is still a possibility for Ertz, offensive coordinator Pat Shurmur answered, "I don't know, I'm assuming so."
