Pittsburgh Steelers left tackle Broderick Jones has been placed on injured reserve with a neck injury. He will have to miss the next four games, and the first game he can return for will be on December 28 against the Cleveland Browns.
While blocking a Bears defender on a broken play, Jones was yanked by his helmet, causing his neck to jerk.
Jones went down to the ground in pain and stayed down for a significant time period. Eventually, he got up and walked off the field without the assistance of trainers.
Jones was described as having a stringer and did not return to the game. Veteran swing tackle Calvin Anderson replaced him and finished the game, and the concern for Jones was there. Andrus Peat will start for the team on Sunday against the Bills.
The same injury has taken some serious time away from other players in their careers.
It ended the careers of safeties Trenton Thompson and Ryan Watts, who were once promising safeties for the Steelers. Asante Samuel Jr., the team’s new cornerback, had surgery for recurrent stingers.
Jones will hope it never turns into something like that, but stingers that linger are often rooted in a deeper issue that would have to be addressed.