Eagan Minn. — Minnesota Vikings quarterback J.J. McCarthy reported soreness in his right knee and was held out of practice on Monday night to undergo further examination.
Vikings coach Kevin O'Connell said the team didn't have reason to believe the former Michigan Wolverine was experiencing any problem beyond routine soreness, but O'Connell said he wasn't sure yet whether McCarthy would travel this week for joint practices with Cleveland on Wednesday and Thursday and the preseason game against the Browns on Saturday.
“It was something we want to be smart about at this point,” O'Connell said.
McCarthy was slated for increased turns this week with the first-team offense. Sam Darnold has been atop the depth chart so far. McCarthy, the 10th overall pick in the draft out of national champion Michigan, had 188 yards, two touchdowns and one interception on 11-for-17 passing in his preseason debut against Las Vegas.
The Vikings also hosted free agent cornerback Stephon Gilmore for a visit on Monday, continuing their persistence with potential upgrades to a thin position. The 2019 AP NFL Defensive Player of the Year with New England and five-time Pro Bowl pick has been with four teams in the past four seasons. The 33-year-old has gone unsigned since playing for Dallas in 2023 and becoming a free agent.
“We’re very proud of the atmosphere, our locker room, our players,” O'Connell said. "I think it's a positive to give guys a sneak preview of what they might be joining.”
49ers cancel joint practice with Saints
Santa Clara, Calif. — San Francisco defensive tackle Kalia Davis will need to undergo surgery on his knee after getting hurt in the exhibition opener in the latest injury to hit the 49ers.
San Francisco was missing more than a dozen players because of injuries at practice on Monday, leading coach Kyle Shanahan to cancel a planned joint practice later this week against the New Orleans Saints.
“It was tough because we like to do it,” Shanahan said Monday. “In the long run, I waited so long to make the decision because of how much we enjoy doing it. But when we realized we were just doing it because we were enjoying to do it and trying to change the monotony it didn’t make it worth it."
While most of the injured players are dealing with minor injuries that should be healed by the season opener on Sept. 9, Davis will miss significantly more time. Shanahan said he expected the third-year defensive tackle to miss about half of the regular season after getting hurt Saturday night. Cornerback Ambry Thomas also broke his forearm in that game and will miss about half of the season as well.
Davis had one sack and two tackles for loss against Tennessee on Saturday, showing the flashes the Niners had been hoping for after Davis played sparingly his first two seasons while recovering from a knee injury in college.
“I thought he played one of his best games,” Shanahan said. “It was really unfortunate. He played awesome through the whole game, and that is why we, he and us were surprised he had such a tough injury.”
While Thomas and Davis have the only injuries that are projected to last into the season, several other players, including Christian McCaffrey, Elijah Mitchell, Ricky Pearsall, Isaac Yiadom, Jon Feliciano and Spencer Burford, are sidelined right now, leading to the decision to call off the practices with the Saints.
The 49ers like the joint practices because it allows his starters to get more work in a structured environment than they do in exhibition games but decided it was best to pass on it this year because of health.
“I was very disappointed,” cornerback Deommodore Lenoir said. “We’ve been competing with each other for so long. I feel like being able to actually unleash that on another team would have been great for two days and then play some in a game. Just get a little scrappy out there.”
San Francisco is still missing two other key players at practice with receiver Brandon Aiyuk conducting a “hold in” and left tackle Trent Williams holding out in search of new contracts.
Chiefs receiver 'Hollywood' Brown won't need surgery
St. Joseph, Mo. — Kansas City Chiefs coach Andy Reid said wide receiver Marquise “Hollywood” Brown did not need surgery for the shoulder injury he suffered in the team's preseason opener in Jacksonville.
Brown spent Saturday night in a Jacksonville hospital before being released Sunday morning and was not present for Monday’s practice.
“They were able to get the joint back in place without surgery, which is a positive,” Reid said. “We’ll just see on the recovery. He’s back in Kansas City now. He stayed over in Jacksonville until they got that thing situated.”
Reid said after Saturday’s game that Brown suffered a sternoclavicular posterior dislocation.
Reid also compared Brown’s injury to the same situation former Chiefs wide receiver Tyreek Hill dealt with in the 2019 regular-season opener. Hill missed four games before returning.
Reid, however, didn’t commit to a similar timeline for Brown with the regular-season opener against the Baltimore Ravens on Sept. 5. The Chiefs will face the Lions in Kansas City on Saturday (4 p.m., FOX 2, 97.1).
“We’ll see how that goes,” Reid said.
Brown’s absence for upcoming practices – and perhaps Week 1 – leaves a hole in Kansas City’s offense.
The Chiefs signed Brown to a one-year deal in March as part of a retooled wide receiver group. The Chiefs then selected Xavier Worthy in the first round of the draft.
Reid said he believes the team has depth at the position.
“The positive there is he’s going to be back,” Reid said of Brown. “But without him in there – his experience and that in the league – but we’ve also got other guys who can step in and play. We’ll be OK there. We’re pulling for him to get back.”
