The 2023 NFL regular season is over and a large number of stars were lost due to injury. Entire seasons have been broken due to devastating NFL injuries and this year was no different. Given some teams (like the Cleveland Browns) were able to overcome large quantities of injuries to make the playoffs.
It would be a miracle for a player to be unscathed through the year. Players who get dinged have to mitigate their symptoms in different ways and thankfully, the NFL has stopped testing for THC after the beginning of Training Camp. Players like Travis Kelce estimate 80% of NFL players use marijuana, in some sense, like products from Crescent Canna. Avoiding serious injury is the key to any successful season, so mitigating symptoms is a given.
Unfortunately, not every player was able to walk away from their injury and their season ended. Devastating NFL injuries are bitter pills to swallow.
10 Devastating NFL Injuries From the 2023-24 Season
Nick Chubb
The heart and soul of the Browns offense was lost this year due to a devastating knee injury. Chubb had been putting together a solid campaign over the last few years as an argument to be the top running back in the NFL. He posted 1,000+ yard seasons in each of the last four years and missed the mark as a rookie by just four yards.
In Week 2, Chubb suffered a gruesome ACL tear as he attempted to push into the endzone against the Steelers. The injury was so severe that it took two surgeries to clean it up but he’s expected to make a full recovery and be back for 2024. The question will be whether or not he’s still his old self.
Joe Burrow
This year just wasn’t Joe Burrow’s year. To start the year, Burrow suffered a freak calf injury in Training Camp that hobbled him for over a month. He finally got healthy, played like the Joe Burrow the NFL knows, and was lost due to a wrist injury in Week 10 against the Ravens.
In the end, when he was hit on the play, Burrow tore a scapholunate ligament in this throwing (right) wrist shortly before half. He was able to come in for a play, throw a touchdown, felt a pop, and that was it. The Bengals, despite continuing to be competitive until Week 17, were never the same.
Maybe 2024 will be the year Burrow finally gets a normal Training Camp.
Aaron Rodgers
On the first play from scrimmage, Aaron Rodgers was hit and did not get back up. The future Hall-of-Fame quarterback, recently acquired from the Green Bay Packers, tore his Achilles’ tendon. No matter how much pseudoscience-y “medical” help he sought, Rogers was lost for the year.
All offseason, the Jets were hyped up as a potential Super Bowl team. Adding a quarterback like Rodgers will do that to a team. However, it call came crashing down. The Jets struggled all year, especially on offense. They finished 7-10 and were never really competitive.
Anthony Richardson
Leading up to the season, it was uncertain what the rookie campaign of Anthony Richardson would be like. He was not exactly a superb quarterback at Florida but he had an athletic profile that made the Colts jump at the opportunity to draft their next franchise quarterback.
His rookie year ended after just four games. While he was not the most efficient passer, he was significantly better than projections. He also showed the NFL that he can get it done on the ground and put defenses in a bind. Unfortunately, he suffered a torn ACL. All eyes will be on Richardson in 2024 to see if he can continue his strong start.
Justin Herbert
Considered one of the best quarterbacks in the league, Justin Herbert was leading the Chargers to a halfway decent season, although the team’s struggles were not exactly on him. LA was 5-8 at the time of Herbert’s injury…they finished the year 5-12 and did not look good in his absence.
Herbert was one of the few good things about the 2023 Los Angeles Chargers. Without him, the team very well could have gone winless. Through the 12 games before his injury, Herbert was on-pace for another 4,300-yard season. Hopefully the Chargers will hire a competent head coach in 2024 and Herbert can get back to playing as well as expected.
D.J. Reader
While the Cincinnati Bengals defense was underwhelming to say the least, D.J. Reader was still among the best interior defensive linemen. When he was on the field, he was dominant. When he was absent, you could tell. The Bengals run defense was weak in 2023 but it was significantly worse in the games following Reader’s brutal injury.
In Week 15, Reader suffered a torn quad. It’s the second time he suffered a torn quad, once on each leg. It’s the third time his season ended on I.R. and fourth time overall in his career. 2023 was a contract season for Reader but his impact cannot be understated for the Bengals.
Dawand Jones
The Cleveland Browns had its fair share of injuries and then some. For the Week 18 showdown, the Browns had 14 players on I.R. and rookie right tackle Dawand Jones was one. His rookie campaign started off a tad late because he was not originally supposed to be the starting right tackle. The injury early on in the year to Jack Conklin sped up his clock.
Jones was a fourth-round selection and was widely-regarded as a project with incredibly high upside. If anyone was going to get the most out of a raw prospect, it was going to be the Browns. And they sure did. Jones was a bonafide NFL right tackle from the jump and was playing at, arguably, a Pro Bowl level prior to his injury.
Mark Andrews
The Baltimore Ravens are back to being an elite offensive power in the NFL and the play of Mark Andrews had a lot to do with it. Lamar Jackson playing at an MVP level is fantastic but his favorite receiver was the talented tight end.
While he was not on pace to set any new career-highs – which, to be fair, would be a massive feat considering he is a three-time Pro Bowler and was a first-team All-Pro in 2018- Andrews was as good as any in the NFL. He was lost in Week 11 due to the now hotly-contested “hip-drop” tackle that will be a popular talking point this offseason.
Tre’Davious White
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The Buffalo Bills defense was an area of concern last year but one thing was certain: Tre White. For years, White has been a leader on the Bills defense and has been able to lock down opposing receivers week in and week out.
Losing White just four games in was devastating. In what has become a rash of non-contact Achilles injuries, White was the latest victim. Thankfully for the team, they rebounded, but imagine that defense with White along with the pieces they added.
Grady Jarrett
Finally, another criminally underrated interior defender, Grady Jarrett has been an incredible player for the Atlanta Falcons since the team selected him in the fifth round of the 2015 draft. The two-time Pro Bowler and one-time second-team All-Pro suffered a torn ACL just eight games into the year.
He was looking to improve upon his impressive 2022 season where he totaled 61 tackles, 12 TFLs, and six sacks for the Falcons. This is the first time his season was significantly shortened by injury.
