🐺 Wolf Sports Weekly

Good morning! From more injuries and contract extensions to the NFL preseason getting underway, there’s a lot to get to this week. Let’s jump right in.

⚡️ Justin Herbert headlines injuries

Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert is dealing with a plantar fascia injury in his right foot, knocking him out for the next few weeks and putting his Week 1 in jeopardy.

• Herbert will be in a boot for two weeks, at which point he’ll be gradually ramped up to hopefully being able to play in games.

• The expectation is that he’ll be ready to face the Raiders to open Los Angeles’ regular season on September 8.

• However, plantar fascia injuries—basically an injury to the band of tissues at the bottom/arch of the foot—are said to be extremely painful.

Bottom line: This is obviously not ideal for Herbert or the Chargers in Year 1 of the Jim Harbaugh era, and a plantar fascia injury is not going to be comfortable to play through—and it could be something Herbert deals with all season.

Titans wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins will miss a few weeks with a knee injury. The hope for him is also to be back for the regular season opener. No surgery was needed, so we’ll have to see how quickly the veteran heals with a little over a month to go before Week 1.

The others of a plethora of injuries to track from the past week include:

• Rams wide receiver Puka Nacua is week-to-week with a knee injury; Rams guard Jonah Jackson will miss the preseason with a bruised scapula, but the hope is he will be back for the regular season opener against his former Lions team.

• Lions defensive lineman John Cominsky is out five-to-six months with a torn MCL, with the postseason as a potential target return date; Detroit cornerback Emmanuel Moseley (torn pec) is out indefinitely.

• Cardinals pass rusher BJ Ojulari and Buccaneers guard Sua Opeta are both out for the season with torn ACLs; Bengals defensive end Cam Sample (Achilles) is out for the year.

• Bucs pass rusher Yaya Diaby suffered a high-ankle sprain but is expected to be fine for Week 1.

• Panthers rookie receiver Xavier Legette (foot) is day-to-day, while Steelers rookie receiver Roman Wilson (ankle) is week-to-week.

• Returning from a torn ACL suffered while at Texas last season, Panthers head coach Dave Canales says rookie running back Jonathon Brooks won’t be ready to start the season.

• Browns running back D’Onta Foreman was completely immobilized and carted off the field during practice, but thankfully he seems to be OK and was taken to the hospital as a precaution.

👏 Hall of Fame induction and HOF Game

Bears legend Steve McMichael, battling ALS, highlighted the 2024 Pro Football Hall of Fame induction ceremony by getting honored at his home. The full class included Dwight Freeney, Randy Gradishar, Devin Hester, Andre Johnson, Julius Peppers, and Patrick Willis.

As for the Hall of Fame Game last Thursday night, it was shortened by inclement weather, but Texans quarterback Davis Mills (10/13, 102 yards, one touchdown) and Bears receiver Collin Johnson (three receptions, 56 yards, two touchdowns) were standouts in a 21-17 Chicago victory.

🔒 More contract extensions

We stated last week how this time of year is a good one for contract extensions, and there were more deals made over the past week:

• Buccaneers OT Tristan Wirfs (five years, $140.63 million)

• Dolphins WR Tyreek Hill (three years, $90 million)

• Bears WR DJ Moore (four years, $110 million)

• Chiefs K Harrison Butker (four years, $25.6 million)

• Patriots DT Davon Godchaux (two years, $21 million)

• Cardinals LB Zaven Collins (two years, $14 million)

Also, it turns out quarterback Matthew Stafford’s revised deal with the Rams is essentially a one-year pact (with no fully guaranteed 2025 money) where the two sides re-evaluate after the season.

🏈 NFL preseason Week 1

All 32 teams will be in action for the preseason starting Thursday, and included in the preseason Week 1 schedule are a couple of standalone games on Sunday. Here’s the full schedule for this week:

Storylines we’re watching include:

• Starters playing: The Bengals, who have had slow regular season starts in each of the past two years, are among the teams that will play their starters this week.

• Quarterback battle: Aidan O’Connell and Gardner Minshew are both looking to win the starting job for the Raiders and will have plenty of opportunities starting this week.

• Broncos rookie quarterback Bo Nix is drawing rave reviews from coaches and teammates early and appears to be seizing the starting role in Denver. He’ll be playing in a standalone window when the Broncos face the Colts at 1:00 PM ET on Sunday.

✍️ Player news

Trade rumors are swirling around 49ers wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk, with framework in place for potential deals with the Browns and Patriots, according to NBC Sports’ Matt Maiocco. The Steelers are also said to be in the mix, and a trade sounds more likely than an extension with San Francisco.

There were three recent retirements around the league:

• Former first-round running back Rashaad Penny, who signed with the Panthers this offseason, has called it a career at 28 years old after not feeling like himself during camp. He unfortunately battled many injuries throughout his career but was an impact player when healthy.

• 11-year veteran linebacker AJ Klein announced his retirement on Instagram.

• Former All-Pro returner Tarik Cohen, who was attempting a comeback with the Jets, retired. But credit to him for giving the comeback a shot, and he says he made the attempt because he was getting too big—and he certainly got back into shape.

Recent signings are headlined by a few veteran defenders:

• The Titans signed safety Quandre Diggs, who is the latest of a ton of veteran additions for Tennessee over the past two offseasons.

• Pass rusher Markus Golden re-signed with the Steelers after 4.0 sacks in 2023.

• The Bills signed tone-setting safety Kareem Jackson, who was suspended twice for big hits last season.

• The Giants added offensive lineman Greg Van Roten.

• Cornerback Fabian Moreau signed with the Vikings after starting 11 games for the Broncos last season.

• The Jaguars signed special teams impact player Tanner Muse.

• The Cowboys signed defensive end Al-Quadin Muhammad, and defensive tackle Mike Purcell signed with the Patriots.

• Kicker Riley Patterson signed with the Commanders.

Broncos defensive lineman Eyioma Uwazurike was reinstated by the NFL after a one-year suspension for gambling.

📰 NFL news and notes

A federal judge overturned the $4.7 billion verdict in the Sunday Ticket class action lawsuit.

The NFL and Sony announced a partnership that will have coaches wear Sony headsets on the sidelines—and they will test Hawk-Eye tracking to potentially replace the chain gang.

On Hard Knocks, we received insight of both the Jets and the Colts attempting to trade up to the Giants’ No. 6 overall pick.

The Packers revealed alternate white helmets, which will be worn for a Week 7 “Winter Warning” game against the Texans.

The Bengals unveiled an awesome new locker room—check it out.

Cardinals rookie receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. does not wish for his jersey to be sold, continuing a lengthy disagreement with Fanatics.

Funny stuff: Chiefs receiver Xavier Worthy is considering boycotting Madden 25 over his 98 speed rating, and Josh Allen told a great story about rookie teammate Keon Coleman.

Bill Belichick will have a weekly show with Underdog Fantasy this season. We’ll see him there, on Inside the NFL, and on the ManningCast this fall.

Other Sports Updates

🏟️ Olympics update: The United States leads by far with 79 medals. Among the highlights was Noah Lyles winning the 100m a crazy photo finish.

🤕 Angels star Mike Trout (knee) is out for the season as his big-time injury woes continue.

⚾️ Giants starter Blake Snell threw a no-hitter, making it the second consecutive week with a no-hitter in Major League Baseball (Dylan Cease on July 25).

😳 The White Sox have lost a stunning 21 games in a row—the longest streak since 1988.

😎 Nebraska quarterback Dylan Raiola looks almost identical to Patrick Mahomes.

💸 The College Football 25 video game has already hit $500 million in revenue.

📺 The Disney, Fox, Warner Bros. Discovery sports streaming service Venu will launch at $42.99/month.

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