Darryl Sharpton Injured

On Tuesday, Kubiak updated the status of rookie fourth-round pick linebacker Darryl Sharpton, calling him day-to-day with a swollen knee but saying he believes Sharpton will be ready to play against Dallas on Saturday in Houston.

Sharpton's injury further complicates a linebacker core where veteran Danny Clark (knee) and Xavier Adibi (groin) are already expected to miss the Dallas game. Either Clark or Adibi are expected to start the first four games of the season while Brian Cushing serves a four-game suspension.

Their injuries were supposed to create a window of opportunity in the Dallas game for Sharpton.

"He's a smart kid," Ryans said of Sharpton. "He caught on well with what we're doing, learning both the Will (weak side) and Sam (strong side) positions."

But then Sharpton showed up Tuesday with a swollen knee. All he could do was watch.

"I think he's going to be OK," Kubiak said. "My indications are he'll be ready to go for Dallas. I sure hope so."

"That's why we didn't practice yesterday (Monday)," Kubiak said of Sharpton's injury. "We've got some issues at the linebacker position. He's got a swollen knee. I think he'll be okay, but he'll be day to day. We're really down on numbers at that position."

Kubiak said there was little reason to sign a new linebacker for this week.

"We're at a point right now where it's tough to bring somebody off the street and throw them in a game, especially when you're about to play your starters for three quarters," Kubiak said. "We just got to work through the problem. It may be a thought when we go into next week, but the way we're approaching this game is basically with our starters. We just got to push through and make it work."



(rotoworld.com)