Vikings’ QB suffers serious leg injury
Minnesota Vikings quarterback Teddy Bridgewater went down with an injury in practice on Tuesday, causing the team to cut short its session after 25 minutes.
Bridgewater dropped back to pass during a drill, planted his foot and immediately went down. He grabbed his left knee while concerned teammates and athletic trainers huddled around him.
Coach Mike Zimmer eventually called off practice, and the rest of the team walked off the field while Bridgewater was being attended to. Moments later, a siren-blaring ambulance pulled into the team’s Winter Park headquarters, stayed for about 10 minutes and then pulled away.
The nature of Bridgewater’s injury was not immediately clear. The team said Zimmer would address the situation at a later time.
Players were visibly distraught as they exited the field, some hurling expletives into the air. A small group remained behind, huddled around him in prayer as team athletic trainers worked to immobilize his leg.
If Bridgewater is unable to return in a timely manner, there is little behind him on the depth chart. Shaun Hill is the primary backup, but he’s 36 years old and has played only sparingly over the last five years.
Bridgewater is entering his third season in the NFL and the Vikings were counting on him to take some major steps forward after a promising start to his career. He helped lead the Vikings to the NFC North championship last season as more of a game manager, but Zimmer and offensive coordinator Norv Turner have said that they expected him to be much more of a playmaker in 2016.
Cowboys lose another QB: The Dallas Cowboys have placed quarterback Kellen Moore on season-ending injured reserve, eliminating the chance for him to return after breaking his right ankle in practice early in training camp.
Moore was expected to be Tony Romo’s backup, and now both are out after Romo broke a bone in his back in the preseason against Seattle. The Cowboys haven’t said how long Romo will be out, but rookie fourth-round pick Dak Prescott figures to start at least the first few games if healthy.
Bills’ Lawson on PUP list: Buffalo Bills linebacker Shaq Lawson will miss at least the first six weeks of the season after the rookie first-round draft pick was placed on the reserve/physically unable to perform list.
The designation was made Tuesday as part of a series of moves the Bills made to establish their NFL-maximum 75-player roster. Lawson began working out on his own two weeks ago since having shoulder surgery in May to repair an injury that nagged him in college.
In other moves, Buffalo released nine players, including receiver Greg Little and linebackers David Hawthorne and Eric Striker. Tight end Chris Gragg, who tore a ligament in his left knee on Friday, was one of three players placed on waived/injured.
Beachum wins Jags’ LT job: The Jacksonville Jaguars have settled on a starting offensive line, with Kelvin Beachum at left tackle and former first-round draft pick Luke Joeckel moving to left guard.
Beachum and Joeckel spent much of training camp splitting repetitions at both positions. Coach Gus Bradley picked Beachum because of “his body of work that he’s had as well as what he’s shown to us in camp.”
The Jaguars gave Beachum a five-year, $45 million contract in free agency and declined to pick up a fifth-year option for 2017 in Joeckel’s contract, so the outcome is what many expected. Joeckel was the second overall pick in the 2013 draft.