Worst NFL Preseason Injuries

As training camps around the NFL are in full swing in anticipation for another football season, the debate rages on whether the rigorous practices and preseason games are worth the injury risk for established veteran players

While the evaluation period is crucial for rookies and players who are competing for a starting spot or just a place on the 53-man roster, veterans with little to prove put their bodies on the line for little to no reward, and sometimes the results are disastrous.

Five serious preseason and training camp injuries come to mind that not only left the player on injured reserve before the season even began, but it changed the course of his career.

Teddy Bridgewater, August 2016

Teddy Bridgewater’s NFL career got off to a great start: in 2014, he was voted by the fans as the Pepsi Rookie of the Year. The following season, Bridgewater led Minnesota to an NFC North division title and was named to the Pro Bowl. The Vikings and their fans thought they found their franchise quarterback. However, during training camp in 2016, Bridgewater suffered a torn ACL and dislocated his knee in a non-contact injury. The Vikings were so devastated that head coach Mike Zimmer cancelled the rest of practice after the injury occurred. Bridgewater didn’t start another game until the final game of the 2018 season, after his new team – the New Orleans Saints – had sewn up home field advantage throughout the playoffs. He will backup Drew Brees again in 2019.

Michael Vick, August 2003

Michael Vick was the NFL’s most dynamic player going into the 2003 season. Just months removed from being the first visiting quarterback to win a playoff game in Green Bay’s Lambeau Field, big things were predicted for Vick and his Atlanta Falcons in 2003, but a scramble in a preseason game led to a broken leg and shattered dreams for the Falcons that season. The team went 2-10 in the 12 games that Vick missed. Vick was able to get back on track in 2004, leading Atlanta to the NFC Championship game, but legal issues would soon end his tenure with the Falcons.

Trent Green, August 1999

While unfortunate for Green, this injury would forever change the path of the (then) St. Louis Rams. Green just signed a four-year deal to serve as the Rams’ quarterback, but a hit from Rodney Harrison in a preseason game caused his knee to blow out and end his season. Enter Kurt Warner, an unknown in NFL circles, who only won the league MVP award and a Super Bowl title in his rookie season. However, there is evidence that Green may have been able to lead that historic offense: while filling in for an injured Warner in 2000, Green threw 16 touchdowns in five games.

LeCharles Bentley, July 2006

When you think of all the rotten luck the Cleveland Browns have had in the 20 years since returning to the NFL, the tale of LeCharles Bentley is largely overlooked, but it’s another case of what could have been. Bentley was a two-time Pro Bowl center and signed a six-year, $36 million deal with his hometown Browns for the 2006 season. However, a torn patellar tendon in training camp not only ended his season prematurely, it ended his career.

Tony Romo, August 2016

Romo’s plight was similar to that of Trent Green. The longtime Dallas quarterback broke a bone in his back during a preseason game, forcing the Cowboys to turn to rookie Dak Prescott. The quarterback out of Mississippi State took it from there. Prescott went 13-3, accounting for 29 total touchdowns and throwing only four interceptions. Romo played briefly in the final game of the season before retiring. Now, he serves as CBS’s lead analyst and is widely considered the best television analyst in football.