2016 NFL Injury Report: Ranking The 5 Most Devastating Losses
By Erik Lambert
The regular season hasn’t even started yet and already the 2016 NFL injury report is filling up with some pretty prominent players who could tip the balance for their teams.
There’s still a long way to go this year, but based on what has happened over the past month, it’s fair to ask the question. Which major injury suffered is potentially the worst in terms of impact on the respective team? That is what this top five rankings will cover. A list of players who might not always be the superstar of the roster, but did occupy a particularly important role that could send the entire machine into meltdown.
#5: Hroniss Grasu (ACL)
Sometimes it’s not always the star player being lost that can really throw a team into chaos. The Chicago Bears made the puzzling decision to release veteran lineman Matt Slauson in the off-season. Their hopes were pinned on the immediate success of 2nd round pick Cody Whitehair and the improvement of second-year man Hroniss Grasu. It looked like their gamble was paying off in training camp, until the young center felt his knee give way during practice at Soldier Field.
In essence the loss threw the entire Bears offensive line into disarray. Backup Ted Larsen has not looked good as a replacement and the quarterbacks have been suffering from additional punishment. Unless Larsen can correct his problems soon or the team can find a serviceable replacement, this injury is going to weigh down their offensive potential all season. It will be impossible to know how good the combination of Alshon Jeffery and Kevin White is.