The NFL regular season is over, and week 18 was relatively benign from an injury standpoint. We have one major injury that has the potential to bleed into 2026: Titans rookie Cam Ward. How is a grade III AC joint sprain managed? And will it impact his sophomore season? Brock Purdy suffered a stinger. Is this a concern for the Wildcard? The answers to these questions are below.

Quarterbacks

Cam Ward

Injury: Right AC joint sprain

Analysis: Just as the first overall pick was beginning to catch his stride, a diving touchdown led to a grade III AC joint sprain. AC joint injuries are interesting; most other injuries are graded I-III, whereas the AC joint is graded I-VI, meaning a grade III sprain is not the worst scenario. A grade III sprain is challenging, however, as it is the grey area between needing surgery or being able to conservatively rehab back to full strength.

Ward is set to attempt to rehab first, and presently the Titans believe this will be sufficient. In many cases, grade III sprains can be successfully rehabbed, though the athlete will likely have a deformity long term (impacts aesthetics but not function). If rehab fails, Ward will undergo surgery, which has a 5-6 month rehab timeline.

Brock Purdy

Injury: Left-sided stinger

Analysis: Purdy suffered a stinger on his left neck/shoulder. A stinger is a neuropraxia, also known as a mild nerve injury that usually fully resolves within hours to a few days with no lasting effects. This is Purdy's left side, so it will not affect his throwing hand grip strength or his throwing shoulder range of motion. Functionally, this really is not a concern whatsoever for the Wildcard round.

Quinn Ewers

Injury: Knee injury

Analysis: Ewers injured his knee towards the end of the week 18 contest. At this time, there are no reports of this being a major injury, and he should be able to participate in all offseason activities.

Wide Receivers

KeAndre Lambert-Smith

Injury: Hamstring strain

Analysis: The Chargers' rookie receiver picked up a hamstring injury in week 18 and is questionable for the Wildcard round. Lambert-Smith has not carved out a significant role in the NFL yet, so from a daily fantasy or prop betting standpoint, this is largely irrelevant, but football fans can still know that receivers average missing 1.9 games and a 15% decline in fantasy points after a hamstring injury.

Tight Ends

Taysom Hill

Injury: Shoulder injury

Analysis: Hill injured his shoulder in week 18. There are currently no reports of this being a major injury or one requiring surgery, so this should not affect Hill's ability to participate in off-season activities, if he continues his career.

Grant Calcaterra

Injury: Ankle and knee injuries

Analysis: Calcaterra was victim of a hip-drop tackle that led to a mechanical load consistent with a high ankle sprain and an MCL sprain. The Eagles have not officially called his injuries a high ankle and an MCL, but have stated that both his ankle and knee are injured. He appeared to be moving okay on the sidelines, so there is hope his injuries are mild, but tight ends average missing over four games from both high ankle sprains and MCL sprains. We will look closely at practice reports this week for Calcaterra's status.