The NFL preseason kicks off on Thursday for the Hall of Fame Game as the Chicago Bears will be taking on the Baltimore Ravens. Unfortunately, injuries always play a role in football, and there are some who already know they won't be playing this season even before the preseason begins.
Here are some of the more notable players who have suffered season-ending injuries and won't see the field again until at least the 2019 season.
Ross Cockrell, CB - Carolina Panthers
- Injury: broken tibia and fibia in left leg
According to the Carolina Panthers' website, Cockrell suffered a broken left leg during their Monday practice.
The cornerback signed a two-year deal with Carolina in the offseason after spending last season with the Giants. In 16 games (nine starts) in 2017, he had 49 tackles and three interceptions.
Zach Miller, TE - Chicago Bears
- Injury: dislocated knee, torn artery
Miller sustained a gruesome knee injury in late October last season, and he may never set foot on the field in uniform again. He started 28 games in 33 appearances with Chicago over the last three years, totaling 101 catches for 1,161 yards and 11 touchdowns.
Jake Ryan, LB - Green Bay Packers
- Injury: torn ACL
According to ESPN, it was announced on Wednesday that Ryan tore his ACL in practice, ending his season. The 26-year-old started 12 of his 15 appearances for Green Bay last season and finished with 79 tackles and one sack.
Hunter Henry, TE - Los Angeles Chargers
- Injury: torn ACL
The 23-year-old Henry was expected to play a large role this season in what would have been his third year. He won’t have that chance anymore. In 2017, he caught 45 passes for 579 yards and four touchdowns in 14 games.
Jason Verrett, CB - Los Angeles Chargers
- Injury: torn Achilles
After the 2015 season, Verrett was just 24 years old and had been named to his first Pro Bowl.
Since then he appeared in four games in 2016, just one in 2017, and now zero in 2018. The previous two seasons saw serious knee injuries cut his year short.
Sam Beal, CB - New York Giants
- Injury: shoulder surgery
On July 10, the Giants selected Beal in the third round of the supplemental draft. Less than three weeks later, it was announced by the team that he needed shoulder surgery and would miss all of his rookie season.
Beal intercepted two passes last year for Western Michigan.
Ryan Shazier, LB - Pittsburgh Steelers
- Injury: spinal injury
A serious spinal injury that Shazier suffered in December of 2017 on Monday Night Football will keep him off the field in 2018. A first-round pick in 2014, he was named to his second straight Pro Bowl last season after recording 89 tackles and three interceptions in 12 games. His NFL peers respect him so much that he was voted as the 47th best player for this season in the NFL's "Top 100 Players of 2018" despite it being known that he wouldn't play.