Injuries hamper Tar Heel alumni

The injury bug has hit a number of former UNC players recently. In case you missed it, here’s a quick rundown:

TJ Logan

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TJ Logan’s NFL career is not off to the start he wanted.

The Cardinals rookie dislocated his wrist in his appearance versus the Cowboys in Thursday night’s Hall of Fame game. The injury requires surgery and he’ll miss 12 weeks, according to Cardinals head coach Bruce Arians. It’s sad to see any player miss that much time, but it’s a real shame to see Logan, in his first NFL action, go down like that. By all accounts, the Cardinals have been impressed with Logan and expect to use him as a major special teams weapon in the future. That’s on hold until Logan gets healthy again, but hey, at least he got to lay out the punter before he got injured.

Andrew Miller

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The Cleveland Indians, after being defeated by the Chicago Cubs in the World Series last year, are right back in the thick of things in 2017. Sitting at 1st place in the AL Central, they’re anchored by a strong bullpen, led by UNC legend Andrew Miller. A two-time All-Star, Miller boasts 1.67 ERA in 54.0 innings pitched this year. Miller was placed on the 10-day disabled list on August 2nd as a result of lingering right knee tendinitis. Miller is an absolutely crucial part of Cleveland’s pitching staff, and he will have to get back on the mound by October if the Indians hope to make another appearance in the World Series. Miller is UNC’s all time leader in strikeouts and led Carolina to 2nd place in the 2006 College World Series.

Colin Moran

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Colin Moran, a current Houston Astro and former All-American at UNC, suffered a concussion and facial fracture after a foul ball struck him in the head in July. Moran is an up-and-coming player who dominated in college, leading UNC to appearances in the 2011 and 2013 College World Series, respectively. After struggling with injuries in the minor leagues, he was finally called up to the MLB on July 18. He suffered his injury just four days later. In a freak accident, a foul ball ricocheted off his bat and struck him in the eye. He had to be taken to the hospital. It was a scary scene that, luckily, could’ve been much worse.

Moran was released from the hospital the next day, placed on the 10 day disabled list, and should be seeing the field within the next couple weeks. That’s good news for the Astros. They are a team with World Series aspirations, and if Moran can produce like he did at UNC, he’ll be a pivotal part of any championship run that Houston goes on.

Ryan Switzer

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Everyone was super excited to see Ryan Switzer’s preseason debut for the Dallas Cowboys on Thursday, but it never happened. More precautionary than anything, Switzer did not play after tweaking his hamstring earlier in the week. Luckily, the injury itself is nothing to worry about. "Nothing I'm too concerned about. Hopefully it is day to day. I recover fast,” Switzer said. Switzer needs to recover quickly—with a spot open at punt returner after the Cowboys released Lucky Whitehead, Switzer has a chance to establish himself early as a premier returner early in his career.