Ben Vansumeren’s Season Cut Short

It’s hard to believe, but Ben Vansumeren’s season has come to an abrupt end before it even really started.

The 25-year-old fullback for the Eagles sustained an injury during the very first kickoff in Thursday’s showdown against the Cowboys, and it’s a serious one. Reports indicate that he tore his patellar tendon almost immediately, forcing him to leave the field right at the start of the 2025 NFL season.

This injury is a major setback, with recovery typically taking at least six months. A study published by the Sports Medicine Orthopedic Journal, which looked into NFL players injured with patellar tendon issues from 2009 to 2023, found that nearly half of such cases were career-ending. To be precise, about 46.6% of those athletes never returned to the league.

This was Vansumeren’s third season in the NFL, having joined the Eagles after the 2023 draft. Much of his action was on special teams, so it’s a tough blow for both him and the team.

The incident unfolded just before a chaotic sequence between both teams, highlighted by Eagles defensive tackle Jalen Carter losing his cool with Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott.

Carter ended up being ejected for unsportsmanlike conduct. The situation escalated after Prescott appeared to spit towards Carter, although Prescott later explained that he was merely engaged in conversation with teammate Tyler Booker.

“Honestly, I just said something like ‘Why the heck’—maybe I used some different words—but then he spits at me, which was honestly quite surprising,” Prescott stated during a press conference.

After being sent off, Carter apologized to his teammates, stating, “It was a mistake on my part and it won’t happen again. I feel bad for my teammates and the fans. I’m in it for them; they’ve shown me so much support.”

The NFL Network has mentioned that an investigation may be on the way regarding the incidents during the game.