Buccaneers QB John Wolford carried off on stretcher following scary hit
Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback John Wolford was carried off the field on a stretcher after a hard hit in Saturday’s preseason game against the New York Jets. Wolford was brought down for a sack as his helmet collided with a Jets defender, and his head appears to quickly move to the side before slamming into the ground.
Play stopped for some time as trainers went out on the field to attend to him. An update on the situation revealed that he suffered a neck injury and was taken to a local hospital for evaluation. The good news is he reportedly has movement in all of his extremities.
Wolford is set to enter his fourth NFL season. A former Wake Forest quarterback from 2014-17 he went undrafted in 2018 before later signing with the Jets on their practice squad. However, he was later released and never played a game for the team.
After that, Wolford spent one season playing for the Arizona Hotshots in the AAF. That earned him an opportunity with the Los Angeles Rams in 2020, where he was a backup to Jared Goff and started one game. He remained with the Rams for the next three seasons, winning a Super Bowl in 2021 as the backup to Matthew Stafford.
This past season, Wolford started three games for the Rams to finish with 390 yards passing, one touchdown and three interceptions. He has a career total of 626 yards, one touchdown and five interceptions with a completion percentage of 58.7%.
Wolford signed a one-year, $1 million contract with the Buccaneers this offseason following the retirement of Tom Brady. He is expected to be the team’s third string quarterback behind Baker Mayfield and Kyle Trask.
Prior to his injury, Wolford was a perfect 4-for-4 passing for 57 yards. Trask started the game and again entered when Wolford left to finish as Tampa Bay’s leading passer with 218 yards and a touchdown.
The Buccaneers ultimately went on to defeat the Jets 13-6 and improve their preseason record to 1-1. The lone touchdown for either team came on a connection between Trask and rookie Trey Palmer in which Palmer tipped the pass to himself.
But most importantly following the game, the Buccaneers will hope the injury to Wolford isn’t one of a serious nature. He’ll get his next opportunity to suit up in the preseason finale against the Baltimore Ravens on Aug. 26.