Miami Dolphins tight end Dustin Keller will miss the 2013 season with a right knee injury suffered against the Houston Texans on Saturday night, according to multiple reports.
Keller grabbed his right knee after a tackle by D.J. Swearinger on an incomplete pass. He suffered a torn ACL, MCL, PCL and dislocated the kneecap. FoxSports.com reported that the injury could be career-threatening.
Swearinger, a Texans rookie safety, contends that the tackle in the lower-body region was at least partly attributable to the league’s rules that penalize hits to the head area.
“I was making a hit playing football,” Swearinger said, according to the Palm Beach Post. “In this league, you’ve got to go low or you get a fine.”
Keller was signed as a free agent over the offseason after five seasons with the New York Jets.
—New York Jets outside linebacker Quinton Coples is expected to miss the first two games of the regular season with a hairline fracture in his right ankle suffered Saturday night.
The injury will not require surgery and Coples is expected to miss a total of 3-4 weeks, according to ESPNNewYork.com.
Coples has been making the transition from defensive end to outside linebacker, and Antwan Barnes is expected to fill the roles until Coples returns.
—Buffalo Bills quarterback EJ Manuel underwent a procedure on his left knee, but head coach Doug Marrone is still hoping to have the rookie back in time for the regular season.
Marrone said Manuel is expected to be “day to day” following the preseason.
Kevin Kolb will start the Bills’ next preseason game against the host Washington Redskins on Aug. 24.
The Bills also announced they have released defensive backs Don Unamba and Mark LeGree, offensive tackle Tony Hills and wide receiver Terrell Sinkfield.
—The Denver Broncos have several fairly significant injuries.
The most prominent was defensive end Derek Wolfe’s scary cervical spine injury. Wolfe was carted off the field during Saturday’s preseason game and taken to a hospital, but tests were negative. He had movement in his extremities and returned to Denver with the team.
Cornerback Champ Bailey, wide receiver Wes Welker and guard Louis Vasquez also went down with injuries.
An MRI showed Bailey sustained no ligament damage to his left foot, according to USA Today. He has a sprained left foot, and it’s unclear when he will return.
Welker has a “mild” right ankle sprain, according to ProFootballTalk.com. That suggests he will be back for the regular-season opener.
Vasquez left the game in the second quarter with a left knee injury. NFL.com reported that Vasquez tweaked the knee and should be fine.
—The Chicago Bears signed quarterback Trent Edwards to a contract a day after adding quarterback Jordan Palmer to the roster, the team announced.
The journeyman Edwards has played in 38 career games and started 33 in six NFL seasons with the Buffalo Bills, Jacksonville Jaguars, Oakland Raiders and Philadelphia Eagles.
—The San Francisco 49ers ruled out any chance that Mario Manningham would be ready for the start of the regular season after placing the injured wide receiver on the physically unable to perform/reserve list, coach Jim Harbaugh announced.
Manningham suffered a torn ACL and PCL in his knee during a loss to the Seattle Seahawks in December. Manningham is ineligible to return until the 49ers’ seventh game of the season.
—Houston Texans running back Arian Foster continues to have soreness in his back, ruining the team’s hopes of having him back on the field for Monday’s practice.
The Texans plan to re-evaluate Foster’s status on Tuesday.
The Titans have only one healthy running back at the moment, Ben Tate.