NFL Stars who’ve missed the regular season due to preseason injuries

NFL coaches have a difficult job as they prepare for the regular season. They’re supposed to get players enough repetitions, but are also hoping to keep their most important guys healthy. Unfortunately, sometimes important stars have gone down during training camp and the preseason, and their injuries prevented them from playing during the regular season.

This was an interesting situation, and perhaps a caveat to lead things off. The center was injured during training camp, and missed the entire 2022 regular season with a knee injury. Remarkably, Jensen was able to rehabilitate throughout the season, and suited up for the Buccaneers playoff game without playing in a game prior.

Dorsett had a stellar 11 year run with the Dallas Cowboys, but looked to continue his career with the Broncos. He was a serviceable player in 1988, rushing for 703 yards. However, his second season with Denver never got off the ground, as he was injured during training camp. Dorsett would never play in the NFL again after that took place.

The Dolphins were comfortable with Tannehill running the show in the middle of last decade, but suffered a season-ending knee injury during training camp. Miami was forced to quickly pivot, and decided to sign Jay Cutler for one year. The former Chicago Bears quarterback intended to transition to commentating on games, but was lured out of the booth.

He’s one of the most resilient players in recent memory, but Bridgewater had some major adversity to go through in the summer of 2016. His knee was shredded beyond belief, to the point that some thought he would never play again. He battled through the initial grim diagnosis, and has continued his career on a few other NFL teams.

Fans will likely think of Benjamin as a colossal bust as his career cratered, but he came in as a very good player with the Panthers. After an impressive rookie year, the tall receiver suffered a knee injury in 2015. He was never quite the same after that, as his notable height could not make up for the lack of separation he was getting.

He won’t go down as one of the most explosive pass catchers ever, but Maclin was a very reliable receiver for a long time. He was an important part of the Eagles offense opposite DeSean Jackson, but Maclin’s 2013 never got underway due to a training camp injury. Fortunately, he was able to return the following season to record 85 catches and seven touchdowns.

This might be one of the sadder examples on the list. Bentley had a promising career in front of him, making the Pro Bowl twice in a four-year span with the New Orleans Saints. He would end up signing with the Browns, but never played a down for them. Bentley suffered a knee injury during training camp, and then a staph infection while recovering.

Many will remember the ’99 Rams as the team that became “The Greatest Show On Turf”, led by Kurt Warner. However, the season was supposed to unfold with Green as the starter under center. He went down in a preseason game, paving the way for St. Louis to light up the scoreboard. Green had a solid year for Washington in 1998, which is why he was ahead of Warner initially.