Injury Update Reveals Mansoor Delane Expected To Miss Minimal Time
By 813 Staff
Breaking from the sidelines: Injury Update Reveals Mansoor Delane Expected To Miss Minimal Time, according to Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) (in the last 24 hours).
Source: https://x.com/RapSheet/status/2099960712164471052
The first sign that Mansoor Delane had dodged a bullet came not from the sideline report but from the training room, where those close to the situation say the rookie corner was already testing the shoulder with resistance bands before the team's medical staff had finished its initial evaluation. That quiet scene told the locker room more than any official update could. According to Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet), the belief around the league is that Delane should miss minimal time with the shoulder issue, and league sources confirm that internal optimism has been building since Monday night.
Delane, the rookie defensive back, went down awkwardly in the second half and immediately grabbed at his shoulder. The stadium went quiet in a way that only happens when a team watches a young player it has quietly been building its secondary around stay on the turf. He walked off under his own power, which was the first encouraging data point. The imaging that followed apparently backed it up. Rapoport's report on September 15 matches what the front office has been quietly telling people behind the scenes, that this is a matter of pain management and a short recovery window rather than anything structural.
Why it matters is straightforward. Delane was drafted to play meaningful snaps immediately, and the coaching staff has been openly reliant on his versatility in sub packages. The front office has been quietly reshuffling the depth chart for weeks to get him on the field in high-leverage situations. Losing him for an extended stretch would have forced a veteran into a role the staff does not believe that veteran can hold up in. Those close to the situation say the plan all along was to bring Delane along slowly in camp and then hand him the job by October. A multi-week absence would have shattered that timeline.
What happens next depends on how he responds to treatment. The expectation, per those with knowledge of the team's thinking, is that Delane will be listed as limited early in the week and reevaluated before the weekend. No final determination has been made, and the team has not issued anything beyond the standard day-to-day language. Agents around the league will tell you that shoulder injuries for cornerbacks are tricky because of the constant reaching and pressing, so the caution here is warranted even with the positive early read. For now, the locker room believes the kid avoided the worst.
