Injuries are as much a part of football as pigskin, fantasy stats and disputed officiating calls. This season, they have beset the usual high number of recognizable names. There are enough high-profile players on NFL injured reserve lists that you could practically compile an all-star team of them.
So, hey, that's exactly what we did. At roughly the midpoint of the 2016 season, here is ESPN.com's All-IR team. Keep in mind that some of these players are hoping to return by the end of the season; each team is allowed one IR activation per year.
Vikings QB Teddy Bridgewater
Injury: Dislocated left knee/torn ACL
Bridgewater suffered the injury during a noncontact preseason practice, the first in a series of dominoes that has dramatically affected the Vikings' season. Bridgewater is no sure bet to be ready for the 2017 season, and the acquisition of Sam Bradford clouds his future with the organization.
Vikings RB Adrian Peterson
Injury: Torn right knee meniscus
Losing Peterson has crushed the Vikings' rushing offense; they rank No. 32 in the NFL with an average of 2.71 yards per carry. (The next-lowest team is averaging 3.19 yards.) Peterson, who has now missed 21 of a possible 40 games since the start of 2014 because of injuries and suspensions, has an outside shot of returning for the playoffs but might have played his last game for the Vikings.
Chiefs RB Jamaal Charles
Injury: Torn right meniscus
Charles has now undergone two surgeries on the same knee -- one to repair a torn ACL and the other to trim the meniscus -- in the span of one year. He had managed only 40 yards in three games this season and has played in just eight games since the start of the 2015 season. Runners up: Chris Johnson (Cardinals), Eddie Lacy (Packers), C.J. Anderson (Broncos), Danny Woodhead (Chargers).
Chargers WR Keenan Allen
Injury: Torn right ACL
Allen seemed primed for a big year after catching 67 passes in just eight games in 2015 before his season was cut short by a lacerated kidney. Instead, he didn't make it out of Week 1. By the time he returns in 2017, he'll have missed 23 of a possible 24 games.
Jets WR Eric Decker
Injury: Torn right rotator cuff
Decker caught more passes (326) than all but seven NFL receivers between 2012 and 2015, and his 41 touchdowns over that span ranked fourth. The Jets' passing offense has fallen off considerably without him, with a team QBR rank of No. 31 in the league. Runners up: Vincent Jackson (Buccaneers), Sammy Watkins (Bills).
Ravens TE Benjamin Watson
Injury: Torn right Achilles
The Ravens had big hopes for Watson after he caught a career-high 74 passes last season for the Saints. But the severity of the injury, and his looming 36th birthday, have caused some to wonder if retirement is next.
Browns G Joel Bitonio
Injury: Sprained right foot
You might not have heard much about Bitonio, a second-round pick in 2014 for the worst team in football. But he was beginning to garner attention among scouts as one of the game's best young guards. Pro Football Focus had ranked him No. 9 overall at the position at the time of his injury.
Cowboys G La'el Collins
Injury: Torn right toe ligament
Collins had surgery last month, likely ending his season after three games. The Cowboys have a strong offensive line to cover for him, but as a rookie he immediately established himself as one of the league's better guards and is missed this season.
Vikings T Matt Kalil
Injury: Torn right hip labrum
Kalil originally suffered the injury in August and tried to play through it during the first two games of the regular season. He finally succumbed to season-ending surgery on the same day the Vikings placed Peterson on IR. Few teams have a capable backup left tackle, and the Vikings weren't one of them.
Redskins C Kory Lichtensteiger
Injury: Calf
The Redskins tried to upgrade at the position in the offseason but failed, even after Lichtensteiger missed 11 games last season because of a shoulder injury. He has appeared in only three games this season, and for now, the Redskins are using Spencer Long at a position he hadn't played before 2016.
Vikings T Andre Smith
Injury: Torn right triceps
Smith suffered the injury in Week 4, continuing the destruction of the Vikings' offensive line. It also makes you wonder where his career is headed. By the end of 2016, he will have missed 21 of his team's previous 48 games.
Texans DL J.J. Watt
Injury: Back surgery
Watt originally had surgery to repair a herniated disk in July but was not his usual dominant self, managing eight tackles and 1.5 sacks, before succumbing to a second surgery in September. So the Texans are without the player who was deemed the best in the NFL in 2014 and 2015, according to Pro Football Reference's Approximate Value metric.
Jaguars DL Roy Miller
Injury: Torn right Achilles tendon
A full-time starter since signing with the Jaguars in 2013, Miller had 10 tackles in six starts this season.
Broncos DL Vance Walker
Injury: Torn right ACL
Walker, who was supposed to replace departed free agent Malik Jackson, suffered the injury during a preseason practice and is out for the season.
Colts LB Trent Cole
Injury: Back surgery
Cole's two-year stay in Indianapolis has fallen far short of expectations. He managed just three sacks in 14 games last season and appeared in only two games this season before undergoing back surgery.
Falcons LB Sean Weatherspoon
Injury: Torn right Achilles tendon
This was the latest in a long line of injuries for Weatherspoon, who has played 16 games in a season only once in his six-year career. By the end of 2016, he will have missed 23 of his last 48 games.
Chargers LB Manti Te'o
Injury: Torn left Achilles tendon
Te'o had progressed enough in his NFL career to become the Chargers' defensive co-captain and signal-caller. But by the end of 2016, he will have missed 25 of a possible 48 games.
49ers LB NaVorro Bowman
Injury: Torn left Achilles tendon
Bowman was sidelined in Week 4 by his second major injury of the past three years. He tore multiple knee ligaments in the 2013 playoffs. Between the start of the 2014 season and the end of this season, he will have missed 28 of a possible 48 games.
Packers CB Sam Shields
Injury: Concussion
Shields hasn't played since suffering what is at least the fourth concussion of his career in Week 1. He has said via social media that he hopes to return in 2016, but the earliest he is eligible to be activated is Week 14.
Bears CB Kyle Fuller
Injury: Knee surgery
Fuller, a starter since his rookie season in 2014, had what was termed a routine arthroscopic procedure in August but was not able to get on the field before the Bears placed him on injured reserve. In two previous seasons, Fuller had six interceptions and defended a total of nine passes.
Redskins S DeAngelo Hall
Injury: Torn right ACL
Hall suffered the injury in Week 3 and will miss the rest of the season, cutting short a transition to safety that was expected to extend his career. He will turn 33 on Nov. 19 and has now had three consecutive injury-shortened seasons. Between 2014 and 2016, Hall will have missed 31 of a possible 48 games.
Dolphins S Reshad Jones
Injury: Torn rotator cuff
Jones is in the prime of his career, having intercepted five passes in a 2015 Pro Bowl season and then notching 51 tackles in the first six games of this season. He's one of the league's top playmaking safeties.
