Have you ever heard of the Body Bag Game? It was a November 1990 Monday Night Football matchup between division rivals Philadelphia and Washington. Eagles head coach Buddy Ryan, a mean sonofabitch, said before the game that his team would beat Washington so badly that “they'll have to be carted off in body bags.” Nine Washington players eventually left the game with injuries, cementing the Body Bag Game’s legacy as one of the NFL’s most violent contests ever.
Now that Pablo Torre has debunked San Francisco’s substation conspiracy theory, I’m convinced Ryan’s ghost is beating the shit out of half the league. The Body Bag August. (Maybe it doesn’t have the same ring to it, but try to stick with me.) The Bears and Commanders will be without marquee starters for all of 2026 after unlucky injuries in camp. The Seahawks, Cardinals, and Saints are running out of running backs. All three Giants starting cornerbacks are hurt. Multiple superstars are hurrying back from ACL tears. Breece Hall and Kyle Monangai left practice with injuries before I could even finish this article. It feels like we’re getting new injury news every hour, and we’re still 528 hours (22 days) from kickoff. So rather than continuing to bother my wife, friends, and anyone else who will listen about Cade Mays, Robbie Ouzts, and hamstrings, I made an effort to eat the NFL internet one bite at a time until I got my fill and then created this Panic Index. I started by scouring the entire injury database on RotoWire, a collection of about 400 names. The rest of the process went like this:
- Determine which players on the list were projected to be significant contributors to their respective teams in 2026. This was a judgment call based on plundering Ourlads depth charts and a bunch of blogs like 49ers Webzone and Arrowhead Pride and Detroit Jock City and Musket Fire. Did I miss your team? If you’re, say, a die-hard Jaguars fan who wants to make the case for why Garrett DiGiorgio going on the IR is relevant to this Panic Index, my email is always open: agayle@spotify.com. This resulted in a list of 207 players as of Monday morning.
- Hammer endless variations of “X player injury update” into Google to find when the injury first occurred, when the player last fully practiced, and any information teams have been willing to share. Warning you now: A lot of the details from coaches are intentionally vague, if not specifically “undisclosed,” this time of year because teams aren’t required to release an official injury report until Week 1.
- Assign each team a Panic Index Number (PIN).
Venture down this rabbit hole with me, if you dare, but don’t be surprised if you come out of it week-to-week with a tweaked knee.
Maliek Collins of the Cleveland Browns watches a drill during minicamp
Cautiously Optimistic—PIN: 1/5
The Titans, Raiders, Cowboys, Browns, and Vikings are the league’s healthiest teams after the first full week of preseason games. Congrats! Three notable injuries here:
- Minnesota’s veteran safety Jamal Adams suffered a season-ending knee injury in the Vikings’ preseason opener on Saturday. According to ESPN, Adams, who signed with the team in July, had been receiving some first-team reps in camp.
- Cowboys rookie linebacker Jaishawn Barham has been missing valuable practice time with a groin injury, but starter DeMarvion Overshown is on pace to be healthy for Week 1.
- Browns defensive tackle Maliek Collins is probably the most important injured player among these five teams, considering he’s a projected starter still recovering from a 2025 quad injury. But Collins’s absence isn’t even a top-10 reason the Browns should already be panicking about the 2026-27 season.
Chargers offensive line coach Butch Barry works with offensive tackle Rashawn Slater during the first day of training camp
Manageable Concerns—PIN: 1.5/5
Los Angeles Chargers
The Chargers have only one major injury right now, but it’s a big one. Left tackle Rashawn Slater, who missed all of last season with a ruptured patellar tendon, has been sitting out practices since early August with what the team has described as a “flare-up” and “soreness” in his knee. Slater is the second-most important player on the Chargers offense behind Justin Herbert. New offensive coordinator Mike McDaniel is expected to hit the ground running with Herbert and Co., but Slater is paramount for the Bolts to have a high-octane offense out of the gate.
Jacksonville Jaguars
The Jaguars offensive line is in a tricky spot. Projected starting right tackle Walker Little hasn’t practiced in weeks with an undisclosed injury, swing tackle Cole Van Lanen is still on the physically unable to perform list after suffering a knee injury in Week 18 last season, and Chuma Edoga suffered a leg injury on the first play from scrimmage in Jacksonville’s preseason opener against the Saints. And though projected starting guards Ezra Cleveland and Emmanuel Pregnon are both back practicing now, they missed time in camp with injuries.
Indianapolis Colts
The Colts have a handful of minor injuries—30-year-old cornerback Charvarius Ward has missed time with back pain and irritation, and backup running back DJ Giddens has been sidelined with a hamstring injury—but it’s time to start worrying about the status of receiver Alec Pierce. He signed a $114 million contract extension in March and has yet to practice as he recovers from offseason ankle surgery. It'll get a lot harder to buy into the offense’s ability to recapture its early-2025 magic if Pierce isn't ready for Week 1.
Denver Broncos
Sean Payton’s team, meanwhile, is really in a bad place at just one position: center. Projected starting center Luke Wattenberg reportedly “went down hard” in camp on August 5 and is only returning to practice this week. Alex Forsyth is also missing time for undisclosed reasons, and third-stringer Michael Deiter will miss the entire season with a torn quadriceps suffered in practice last week. Denver signed 2022 sixth-round pick Lecitus Smith, now on his fourth team in four years, after the Deiter injury. Fellow NFL journeyman Calvin Throckmorton is healthy and can technically play center, but Denver is down to the studs at that position. New star wideout Jaylen Waddle also missed time this month because of what the team called “muscle tightness” and was seen wearing a compression sleeve on his left leg. Maybe it’s nothing, especially considering that starting quarterback Bo Nix is healthy after his weird ankle injury in the playoffs last year, but I’m keeping my eye on Payton and the starters returning this week.
Also in this tier: Houston Texans (notable injuries: wide receiver Tank Dell, linebacker E.J. Speed), Cincinnati Bengals (notable injuries: Shemar Stewart, Bryan Cook, Dax Hill, McKinnley Jackson), Baltimore Ravens (notable injuries: Ethan Pocic, Nate Wiggins, Marlon Humphrey, Zay Flowers)
Jordyn Tyson of the New Orleans Saints participates in drills during a joint practice
Starting to Sweat—PIN: 2/5
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Bucs All-Pro left tackle Tristan Wirfs tweaked his hamstring during a running test in July and did not practice in pads until Monday. Three different receivers—Emeka Egbuka, Tez Johnson, and Jalen McMillan—have missed valuable August time in Tampa Bay’s first offseason without Mike Evans since 2013. Recent reports indicate that Egbuka might not be ready for Week 1 because of the toe injury he suffered last week. Layer in the fact that Todd Bowles is coaching for his job, OC Zac Robinson is on his second chance to call plays in the NFL, Baker Mayfield is pissed off and playing for a new contract, and star defensive tackle Vita Vea has requested a trade, and yeah, I’d be starting to sweat a little bit if I were the Bucs.
New York Jets
The Jets recently got a bit of good injury news when defensive tackle T’Vondre Sweat, who missed the first three weeks of camp with a hamstring injury, was activated off the non-football injury list and cleared to practice last Saturday. Head coach Aaron Glenn has plenty of other reasons to tremble in the knees a bit, though. Rookie cornerback D’Angelo Ponds (calf) and rookie tight end Kenyon Sadiq (abdomen) have both missed time, as has projected starting cornerback Nahshon Wright (hip). Quarterback Geno Smith is now managing an ankle injury suffered last week during a joint practice with the Bucs. All four of those players weren’t in New York last year. Oh, and on Monday, running back Breece Hall left practice with a groin injury that Glenn is calling “minor” out of the gate, but we’ll see how it affects Hall’s workload over the next few weeks. The margins are razor-thin for Glenn, who is taking over defensive play calling in his second season as head coach after last year’s Jets became the league’s first team to record zero interceptions. Injuries or not, a slow start could cost Glenn his job before Halloween.
New England Patriots
In New England, backup interior offensive lineman Ben Brown—who provides important guard depth behind the injury-prone Alijah Vera-Tucker—will miss multiple weeks with a lower-leg injury, and the team has lost tight end Julian Hill for the season with a knee injury. The Patriots are keeping details about other injuries suspiciously quiet. Special teams maven Brendan Schooler hasn’t practiced and is on the NFI list for undisclosed reasons. Starting edge Harold Landry III has spent pretty much the entire offseason on the PUP list with an undisclosed injury after playing through a knee injury in 2025. And star cornerback Christian Gonzalez has been sitting out recent practices with an ankle injury while he’s in active negotiations with the Patriots on a new contract. Phil Perry of NBC Boston reported that Gonzalez’s absences have been injury related, but I’m sure the corner is in no rush to get back until he gets something close to Devon Witherspoon’s new $132 million deal.
Philadelphia Eagles
Quinyon Mitchell (lower body) and DeVonta Smith (hamstring) both returned to practice Monday after missing a week-plus with injuries, but star cornerback Cooper DeJean (groin) is still on the shelf, as is rookie first-round receiver Makai Lemon, who is dealing with recurring hamstring issues. Lemon was projected to start in three-receiver sets with Smitty and new wideout Dontayvion Wicks now that A.J. Brown is in New England. New Eagles offensive coordinator Sean Mannion needs to fix the offense without Brown (and Jeff Stoutland), but his new WR1 (Smith) is just now getting back to practice, and his first-round rookie is behind schedule. Not ideal for a Philly crowd in Super Bowl–or–bust mode every year now.
New Orleans Saints
The Saints might have it the worst of the teams in this tier. Hyped-up rookie receiver Jordyn Tyson is now expected to miss two months with a hamstring injury, a real cause for concern considering that the biggest knock on Tyson during the draft was his hamstring and other injuries in college. Fellow receiver Mason Tipton is still recovering from offseason tibia surgery, the defensive front seven has been battered with injuries in recent weeks, and the three running backs behind starter Travis Etienne Jr. are banged up. Plus, Dillon Radunz, a 10-game starter in 2025 with experience at guard and tackle, will miss the entire season with an ACL tear. It’s still only August, and head coach and offensive play caller Kellen Moore’s WR1 (Chris Olave), RB1 (Etienne), and QB1 (Tyler Shough) are all healthy. But let’s not pretend it isn’t getting a little swampy here.
Los Angeles Rams
The Rams, meanwhile, have the best injury situation of the teams in this tier, but they belong here because of how much they have to lose. Matthew Stafford and the Rams are (very fairly) the odds-on favorites to win the Super Bowl. They’re the best team in the NFL on paper, assuming clean health. But new star edge rusher Myles Garrett is already managing knee swelling, Puka Nacua is now sidelined with a core muscle injury (and could be suspended by the league after a woman filed a lawsuit in which she said the receiver bit her on the shoulder), and starting left tackle Alaric Jackson is also awaiting possible suspension from the league after being arrested in June on a domestic violence charge and hasn’t practiced since July because of blood clots. Rookie third-round offensive tackle Keagen Trost suffered a hamstring injury in the Rams’ preseason opener on Saturday. Maybe the Rams are just being extra cautious, particularly with Garrett and Nacua; maybe they’ll be on the field with Aaron Donald thrashing the 49ers in Australia Week 1.
Jeremiyah Love of the Arizona Cardinals runs the ball against the Las Vegas Raiders in a preseason game
Denial—PIN: 2.5/5
Pittsburgh Steelers
Aaron Rodgers has been in denial about a lot of things since at least 2020, but that’s not why the Steelers are here. Pittsburgh’s secondary is getting ravaged by the injury bug. Veteran safety Jalen Ramsey suffered a knee injury in July and is still on the PUP list. Cornerback Joey Porter Jr. aggravated a back injury in July and still isn’t practicing. Safety Jaquan Brisker, a free agency addition, hasn’t practiced in more than a week with an undisclosed injury, and depth cornerback Brandin Echols hasn’t returned to the field after hurting his ankle last week. Cornerback Asante Samuel Jr. looked healthier than ever in Pittsburgh’s preseason opener after missing significant time in 2025 with a spine injury, but the rest of the group needs to get back on the field in a hurry. As do starting wide receivers Michael Pittman Jr. and DK Metcalf and rookie first-round offensive tackle Max Iheanachor. All three have missed over a week of practice after suffering injuries in August.
Buffalo Bills
Buffalo’s worries are on offense. Receivers DJ Moore and Keon Coleman, both projected starters, got banged up with lower-body injuries in the team’s preseason debut on Saturday. Further down the receiver depth chart, rookie Skyler Bell and Tyrell Shavers (who played more than 400 snaps in 2025) are also navigating injuries. Bell suffered a lower-body injury recently, and Shavers will be on the PUP list for a bit as he recovers from a January ACL tear. The defensive line will also be without veterans Michael Hoecht (Achilles) and Phidarian Mathis (suspension) for the start of the regular season, and center Connor McGovern is now “targeting Week 1” after going down in Buffalo’s scrimmage on August 8.
Arizona Cardinals
Arizona’s injuries are concentrated at running back and in its rookie class. No. 3 pick Jeremiyah Love suffered a high ankle sprain on his 14th (!) touch of the first half against the Raiders on Thursday. Backup running backs Trey Benson (knee) and James Conner (foot) are also hurt, possibly putting new free agent acquisition Tyler Allgeier in position for a significant workload early in the season. Love and third-round quarterback Carson Beck (ribs) are expected to be healthy in time for the season, but Arizona’s second- and fourth-round picks, guard Chase Bisontis and defensive tackle Kaleb Proctor, respectively, will spend their entire rookie years on the IR. Bisontis was in line to compete for a starting guard spot before going down on his 70th (!!) snap of the preseason, and Proctor has been on the IR since July. Oh, and projected starting edge rusher Josh Sweat has been on the PUP list with a knee injury since July. The Cardinals are really only in the denial phase because Mike LaFleur literally tried to deny the severity of Love’s injury out of the gate, but Cardinals fans should be having some sleepless nights. The LaFauxhawk Era in Arizona is off to a frightening start.
Also in this tier: Miami Dolphins (notable injuries: cornerbacks Darrell Baker Jr., Storm Duck, and Juju Brents), Detroit Lions (notable injuries: safeties Brian Branch and Kerby Joseph, center Cade Mays, running back Isiah Pacheco)
Jaxson Dart of the New York Giants before a preseason game against the Minnesota Vikings
Stomachaches and Night Terrors—PIN: 3/5
Green Bay Packers
Kansas City quarterback Patrick Mahomes is healthy and practicing just eight months after tearing his ACL. It’s been a lightning-fast recovery; he might just be a medical marvel. Compare that to Packers star edge rusher Micah Parsons, who tore his ACL the same day as Mahomes (December 14), yet Parsons is targeting a Week 6 return. The Packers defense is going to be in real trouble without Parsons and possibly other defenders who are dealing with injuries this preseason, including safety Javon Bullard (foot), cornerback Carrington Valentine (hamstring), and edge rusher Lukas Van Ness (shoulder).
Kansas City Chiefs
The Chiefs desperately need a fully healthy and mobile Mahomes through February if they want any shot at a Super Bowl. Their defense doesn’t have a Parsons-sized hole to fill, but Kansas City is managing a lot of smaller issues in the secondary and along the defensive line. First-round rookie cornerback Mansoor Delane, a projected starter, is supposed to be back this week after missing a lot of August with a nagging shoulder injury. But edge Ashton Gillotte and defensive tackles Omarr Norman-Lott and Peter Woods still aren’t practicing. Norman-Lott is on the PUP list recovering from an October ACL tear, Gillotte hasn’t practiced since hurting his hamstring in July, and Woods just popped up on the report recently with an ankle. Plus, starting linebacker Drue Tranquill has battled back spasms in recent weeks.
New York Giants
Giants wide receiver Malik Nabers is ramping back up after missing much of last season with an ACL injury, and he looks like he should be back by Week 1. It’s quarterback Jaxson Dart that is probably keeping Giants fans up at night. Dart has been to the medical tent now in 43 percent of his career starts (including the preseason) and is still “puzzled” by how it keeps happening. And his best friend, running back Cam Skattebo, doesn’t believe in CTE or asthma, fell trying a backflip onstage, and still doesn’t look 100 percent recovered from last season’s horrific leg injury. Oh, and all three Giants starting cornerbacks—Greg Newsome, Paulson Adebo, and Dru Phillips—are missing practice with various injuries. And veteran defensive tackle Roy Robertson-Harris, signed to at least partially fill the team’s Dexter Lawrence hole, tore his Achilles and is out for the season. And starting center John Michael Schmitz is now missing time with a concussion. There’s still a path for John Harbaugh to right the ship in East Rutherford as soon as 2026, but that starts and stops with keeping Dart and everyone around him healthy.
Seattle Seahawks
The Super Bowl champs have issues at running back. Replacing Super Bowl MVP Kenneth Walker III already wasn’t going to be easy even if Zach Charbonnet, Jadarian Price, and Emanuel Wilson were all healthy—and right now, none of them are. Seattle will also be without 2025 starting fullback Robbie Ouzts (neck) for the entire season. On defense, safety Nick Emmanwori, who was injured in practice days before the Super Bowl, was just activated off the PUP list, and rookie cornerback Julian Neal is missing time with a nagging leg injury.
Carolina Panthers
Carolina’s depth is being seriously tested. Starting running back Chuba Hubbard is hoping to return by Week 1, but head coach Dave Canales says it’s a “legit hamstring” injury that’ll keep him “week-to-week.” Second-year edge Nic Scourton and rookie third-round wide receiver Chris Brazzell are both on the IR. Star defensive tackle Derrick Brown is managing knee soreness, and fellow DT Tershawn Wharton still hasn’t practiced since undergoing neck surgery in May. Both starting offensive tackles, Ikem Ekwonu (knee) and Taylor Moton (blood clots), are expected to miss regular-season time. Credit Carolina for signing Rasheed Walker, a four-year starter at left tackle in Green Bay, for cheap in free agency and drafting Monroe Freeling in the first round of the 2026 draft. The Panthers are surprisingly fit to handle two monster offensive tackle injuries, among others, to stabilize the situation, but their depth in the trenches is close to bottoming out. They can’t afford much more pain.
Also in this tier: Atlanta Falcons (notable injuries: quarterback Michael Penix Jr., edge Jalon Walker, safeties Jessie Bates and Xavier Watts, cornerback Billy Bowman)
Feels Like Hell—PIN: 4/5
The art above is Edward Munch’s Self-Portrait in Hell. Bears and Commanders fans have been able to see themselves in the work after news broke of major injuries to linchpin starters in camp.
Washington Commanders
Washington left tackle Laremy Tunsil will miss significant time with a torn triceps. Tunsil allowed just 15 pressures on 449 pass blocking snaps in 2025; his backup in line to replace him full-time, Brandon Coleman, allowed 11 on 203. Tunsil and Coleman aren’t close to the same caliber of player. The Commanders are missing five other important players at this point in the preseason. Projected starting center Nick Allegretti hasn’t practiced fully since July because of calf soreness. Starting defensive tackle Tim Settle is also sitting out practices with a calf issue. Starting cornerback Trey Amos (fibula/ankle) was just activated off the PUP list but won’t practice until next week. John Bates, whom Washington signed for $21 million over three years to be its primary blocking tight end, strained his hamstring in July and is only just this week returning to practice. Finally, backup quarterback Marcus Mariota will miss the rest of the preseason with an MCL injury he suffered in the team’s opener on Friday.
Chicago Bears
Chicago signed Coby Bryant to a three-year, $40 million deal to be the focal point of a refreshed secondary with a lot of new faces. Projected starting slot cornerback Kyler Gordon (calf) and depth safeties Elijah Hicks (shin) and Xavier Woods (groin) are also not fully practicing with injuries. Regression is already coming for the fourth-quarter comeback kings of 2025. A decimated secondary and new injuries to important skill players on offense—receiver Luther Burden III is targeting Week 1 with a groin injury, and running back Kyle Monangai is now going to miss multiple weeks after suffering a hyperextended knee on Monday—will only make repeating their storied success from last year that much harder.
Christian McCaffrey looks on during a preseason game between the Tennessee Titans and the San Francisco 49ers
Mount Doom—PIN: 5/5
I’m glad to be with you, reader. Here at the end of all things.
First, I have to confess: I lied to you. I don’t actually think Buddy’s ghost is wreaking havoc on the league. Body Bag August definitely doesn’t have a ring to it at all. It’s ridiculous. What I just know is that the vaunted substation looming over every 49ers practice like the Eye of Sauron is the source of evil responsible for the onslaught of injuries burning up the team’s forever-elusive Super Bowl aspirations before September. Pablo Torre can save his award-winning journalism for the real world; we are operating in dark magic here. You cannot hide. The substation sees you. Its gaze pierces cloud, shadow, earth, and flesh. There is no life in the void. Only death.
San Francisco 49ers
We probably over-indexed on Lord of the Rings quotes here, but I struggle to find evidence beyond the Dark Lord’s whims (and Torre’s podcast) that sufficiently explains how Kyle Shanahan, Christian McCaffrey, Kyle Juszczyk, George Kittle, Nick Bosa, Ricky Pearsall, and Malik Mustapha (among others) have all been sidelined in August. McCaffrey isn't practicing because of reported “tightness,” but maybe Shanahan will bring every 49ers reporter into a room for an intimate 45 minutes to tell us the truth weeks later. Defensive end Mykel Williams, a projected starter, is still recovering on the PUP list from tearing his ACL in November. Bosa, who missed much of last season with a torn ACL, hasn’t practiced in weeks, and neither has backup defensive end Keion White. Bosa and Kittle, who is recovering from last season’s torn Achilles tendon, might not practice before Week 1.
The 49ers have injury issues in the backfield, on the defensive line, and at receiver. A lot more players than just those recognizable names are hurt, too, and I believe it’s important we honor all souls sent to the afterlife (fine, injured reserve) by the substation:
- WR Ricky Pearsall (knee)
- LB Andrew Farmer (back)
- S Darrick Forrest (undisclosed)
- DE KJ Henry (undisclosed)
- LB Mikail Kamara (knee)
I even blame the substation for backup running back Jordan James’s rib injury. What else could have compelled veteran linebacker Fred Warner to punch James in the ribs in July other than Saruman himself? What else could have compelled Brandon Aiyuk to move as far away from the substation as possible while recovering from major injuries while still under contract with the 49ers? OK, maybe that’s actually something for Torre to ponder, but still. Six projected starters are managing injuries 23 days out from a 32-hour round trip to Australia to play the Super Bowl favorite Rams. The zig here would be that the injury-battered 49ers are going to get mopped up in Melbourne; the zag is that Shanahan & Co. will return to a clean bill of health across the board when they get to Melbourne a week before the game because it’s 7,865 miles away from the Barad-dûr.
