Injury Report: New England's List Grows Significantly
By Gregory Hunt
Coming out of their bye week earlier this month, the New England Patriots had a very healthy-looking roster. Even though they were a little banged up along the offensive line, every player on the active roster participated in practice prior to the team's 30-6 victory over the Dallas Cowboys on October 11. Since then, the team has suffered an avalanche of injuries that has more than doubled the size of New England's injury report; a report that doesn't even include tackle Nate Solder (bicep) and cornerback Tarell Brown (foot), who are both done for the season after getting placed on the injured reserve list.
Injuries have continued to hit the offensive line particularly hard. Neither Bryan Stork (concussion) nor Ryan Wendell (illness) have played a snap this season, and now Marcus Cannon (toe) and rookie Shaq Mason (knee) are missing practice this week. Wendell has been practicing for most of the month, so it's possible he may finally be activated for Sunday's game at Gillette Stadium against the New York Jets; but Stork, who was placed on the injured reserve/eligible to return list at the beginning of the season, is not eligible to play until the November 8 game against the Washington Redskins. Josh Kline is dealing with a shoulder issue, but he's been practicing this week, albeit on a limited basis, so he'll likely be active against the Jets. Cameron Fleming was promoted from the practice squad last week to replace some of the fallen players, and rookie Tre' Jackson may start seeing some more snaps.
Several skill position players are also dealing with recent injuries. Both running back Brandon Bolden and wide receiver Keshawn Martin came down with hamstring injuries during practice this week. Running back Dion Lewis is continuing to battle an abdomen injury he suffered two games ago, while wide receiver/gunner Matthew Slater is trying to bounce back from a knee injury he suffered in last weekend's game against the Indianapolis Colts. Slater's injury initially appeared to be serious, so it's fortunate to see him bounce back so quickly. LeGarrette Blount will probably get the majority of the rushing attempts this Sunday, while the stating receivers will continue to be Julian Edelman and Danny Amendola. Edelman appeared to suffer a broken or dislocated finger against Indianapolis last Sunday, but he is not listed on this week's injury report.
The defensive secondary is healthy (apart from the loss of Brown), but the front defensive seven has taken a few hits. Neither defensive end Jabaal Sheard, who was knocked out of the Colts game with an ankle injury, nor linebacker Rufus Johnson, who is suffering from an unspecified illness, has been at practice this week. Doing a little better is starting linebacker Dont'a Hightower. He suffered a rib injury against the Dallas Cowboys two weeks ago, but he is practicing this week on a limited basis.
Limited participation in practice:
Brandon Bolden, running back (hamstring)
Trey Flowers, defensive end (knee/shoulder)
Dont'a Hightower, linebacker (ribs)
Josh Kline, guard (shoulder)
Dion Lewis, running back (abdomen)
Keshawn Martin, wide receiver (hamstring)
Matthew Slater, wide receiver (knee)
Did not participate in practice:
Marcus Cannon, tackle (toe)
Rufus Johnson, linebacker (illness)
Shaq Mason, guard (knee)
Jabaal Sheard, defensive end (ankle)
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.
