Patriots Missing Majority Of Their Offensive Line At Wednesday's Practice
BOSTON (CBS) -- New England's offensive line depth, which was thin to begin with, is going to be put to the test on Sunday. The Patriots were missing 80 percent of their offensive line at Wednesday's practice as the team begins preparations for the Houston Texans.
Trent Brown, Shaq Mason, Mike Onwenu and Isaiah Wynn were all missing from the media portion of Wednesday's session, making center David Andrews the only starting offensive lineman on the field.
Brown has missed the last three games after leaving Week 1's loss to the Dolphins. Onwenu and Wynn were both placed on the COVID list on Tuesday, while Mason is a surprise absence after playing 100 percent of the snaps in Sunday's loss to the Buccaneers. The guard has played every offensive snap for the Patriots this season.
Asked about the status of of Onwenu and Wynn, Patriots head coach Bill Belichick didn't have much information during his Wednesday afternoon press conference.
"We'll follow the league protocols. If they clear, they clear. If they don't, they don't," said Belichick. "We'll see how it all works out.
"There's obviously some questions there. I don't even know the answer to them myself," Belichick added. "I'm not trying to be evasive here, not that you would ever think that I'm trying to be evasive."
There could be a lot of Justin Herron, Yodny Cajuste, Yasir Durant and Ted Karras come Sunday, which could be bad news for Patriots quarterback Mac Jones. The rookie has been sacked 10 times and has been under constant pressure throughout New England's first four games this season.
At least the Texans, who are also 1-3 on the season, rank near the bottom of the NFL with just seven sacks on the season.
The Patriots will release their first practice report of the week Wednesday afternoon.
