Patriots Injury Report: Solder's Bicep Forces Changes Along Offensive Line
By Gregory Hunt
Coming off of a bye week, the New England Patriots were an incredibly healthy team going into its Week 5 game against the Dallas Cowboys at AT&T Stadium. That all changed in the first half of that game when starting offensive left tackle Nate Solder went to the sidelines with what was initially described as an elbow injury. Three days later, after it was announced that Solder was actually suffering from a torn bicep muscle, the fifth-year player from Colorado was placed on injured reserve, ending his 2015 season.
"It's too bad. It's a tough break for Nate," said Patriots head coach Bill Belichick at a press conference Friday. "He works really hard during the offseason. He's one of our award guys for his work ethic and training and all that is as good as it can be. It's just unfortunate. It wasn't that big of a hit or anything. One of those things."
Solder will be missed; but fortunately for the Patriots, the team has taken the unusual course of rotating its offensive linemen during the course of each game. Marcus Cannon filled in for Solder during the second half against Dallas and played well; the New England offensive line gave up no sacks in the second half after giving up five in the first half. Cannon may start at that position in Week 6 against the Indianapolis Colts, or seven-year veteran Sebastian Vollmer may move from right tackle to left.
There is no word on whether or not the Patriots will sign another offensive lineman to replace Solder. Offense lineman Cameron Fleming, who played seven games with the Patriots last season, remains on the practice squad. Elsewhere along the offensive line, things look promising. Starting center Ryan Wendell, who has not played all season due to an undisclosed illness, does not appear on this week's injury report, so his chances of being activated against Indianapolis look good. Rookie center David Andrews has played well in Wendell's absence, so that gives New England the flexibility of putting Wendell at guard.
Surprisingly, Solder's place on the active roster was taken by cornerback Rashaan Melvin, who was claimed Thursday by the Patriots after he had been placed on waivers by the Baltimore Ravens. Melvin may see action immediately thanks to a foot injury to Tarell Brown, who did not practice on Thursday after seeing limited practice on Wednesday. At 6-foot-2, Melvin gives New England a taller cornerback that it may need to match up with some of the bigger wide receivers in the NFL.
Two more starters, outside linebacker Dont'a Hightower and running back Dion Lewis, also appear on this week's injury report. Hightower left the game against Dallas due to a rib injury, but he's still a good bet to start against Indianapolis. Lewis is dealing with an abdomen injury, so this may hurt the New England offense if he's unable to display the kind of explosiveness he has shown so far this season. Fellow running back LeGarrette Blount may get more touches as a result.
Rounding out the list is rookie defensive end Trey Flowers, who has yet to make his official NFL debut because of knee and shoulder injuries. It's unlikely he will be activated against Indianapolis.
Full participation in practice:
Ryan Wendell, center (illness)
Limited participation in practice:
Trey Flowers, defensive end (knee/shoulder)
Dont'a Hightower, outside linebacker (ribs)
Dion Lewis, running back (abdomen)
Did not participate in practice:
Tarell Brown, cornerback (foot)
Nate Solder, tackle (bicep)
Gregory Hunt is a Boston native and a life-long fan of the Patriots, Red Sox, Bruins and Celtics. He's also particularly fond of lacrosse, IndyCar racing and women's college basketball. He currently works for Examiner.com where he serves as the Senior Manager of Content and Media Access. He also writes for Examiner.com as the New England Patriots Examiner. His work can be found on Examiner.com.
