Former Aggie Kevin Curtis breaks leg during NFL preseason game
Former Utah State and current St. Louis Rams wide receiver Kevin Curtis will be out four to six weeks.
Curtis was injured on a play that looked just to be a kick in the calf. At first, Head Coach Mike Martz told the media he thought Curtis would miss the preseason finale against Kansas City on Thursday.
He thought it was a bruise. Nothing major.
After looking at the X-ray, though, things were a little bit different. Curtis broke his fibula during the Rams’ 28-24 preseason loss at Buffalo on Saturday.
“Sometimes with those things, it isn’t a weight-bearing bone,” Martz said. “Everybody is different, everybody heals at different speeds.”
Surgery is not needed.
This will not be the first time Curtis will have to watch from the sidelines in his young NFL career. He missed more than a week of practice at the beginning of training camp because of a quad injury.
Curtis is looking at the No. 3 wide receiver spot behind Isaac Bruce and Torry Holt.
During his three preseason games, Curtis leads the Rams in reception yards (175) and is tied with Holt with nine receptions, including a 66-yard touchdown at Buffalo.
“It’s a shame,” Martz said. “He was having such a terrific preseason and had been playing so well. That’s a tough one. I was just so excited about him. I just know he’s going to fit for us.”
Curtis was not the only Ram to go down Saturday. Starting safety Kim Herring is expected to be out until the middle of October with a broken arm.
Rams sign former BYU player Ironically, after Curtis went down, St. Louis added another Utah connection to its roster.
Former BYU tight end Spencer Nead signed with the Rams on Monday. Nead was drafted in the seventh round (234th overall) by the New England Patriots, but was released on Aug. 20.
While at BYU, Nead started 18 games in two years and caught 62 passes for 715 yards and six touchdowns.
The Rams also released former BYU kicker Owen Pochman the same day.
-juag@cc.usu.edu