After conducting an analysis of all the injuries that were suffered in the NFL this season, the Associated Press found teams in the league paid approximately $521 million to players who ended the year on injured reserve and Week 1 starters who missed games during the year because of injuries.
That number is actually higher because the AP’s analysis didn’t include a look at players who became starters after Week 1 and later missed games with injuries.
In the deep dive into NFL injuries, the AP found that wide receivers and the players who cover them got injured the most during the 2019 season. In 2019, 82 receivers missed a total of 567 games, costing teams a position-high $72 million.
Behind wideouts, cornerbacks (78) safeties (60), offensive guards (56) and offensive tackles (54) got injured the most frequently.
On the other end of the spectrum, quarterbacks (22) and centers (22) got injured the least in 2019.
Though concussions actually went up from 135 in 2018 to 145 this year, the majority of injuries (60 percent) this season came in the lower body, with knees taking the most punishment.
Interestingly, the Super Bowl-bound San Francisco 49ers led the league in games missed due to injuries and finished with 16 players on injured reserve.
“This whole season, ups and downs, we had injuries left and right,” 49ers tight end George Kittle told the AP. “We had guys step up when they needed to from (Justin) Skule to (Daniel) Brunskill — to our defense, (safety) Marcell (Harris), (linebacker Dre) Greenlaw. We had guys everywhere stepping up the entire season.”
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