Patriots: Injury report brings new concerns before Week 1

The Patriots injury report is out before Week 1 vs the Dolphins.

The New England Patriots are ready to welcome the Miami Dolphins to their home turf Sunday, and we should know very quickly how important the fans are to the Foxborough experience.

This is going to be a grudge match, with some of the powers that be favoring Brian Flores’ roster this season over what’s been left in New England. Of course, we know all too well that expectations rarely factor into on-field play in this rivalry; we’ve been burned too many times before.

The one thing the Patriots would love to count on coming out of an abbreviated camp, though, is health. Without any key players suffering consequential injuries in preseason action, it seems New England has a mostly clean slate here.

Cam Newton, after missing most of 2019 with a Lisfranc injury (ironically suffered against the Pats in the dreaded preseason), does not appear on the team’s first injury report of 2020. Unfortunately, a few names who’ve battled issues over the past few weeks were marked as “limited” heading into the clash. We are officially crossing our fingers for Julian Edelman, Gunner Olszewski, and Chase Winovich.

Yodny Cajuste, thought by many to be an option to replace Marcus Cannon on the OL, will likely miss Week 1, his duties absorbed by Jermaine Eluemunor.

Winovich’s absence a few weeks ago at practice raised alarm bells, and it’s now clear he’s been battling shoulder woes prior to a season we all believe will be a breakout effort for him. Issues like this are nothing new for Edelman, of course, who fought through myriad injuries in 2019 to still deliver a fantastic season, carrying the load.

This time around, it’s a knee for Jules, who’s been spotted nursing his body in recent weeks, taking a lighter load ahead of a pivotal 2020 where his relationship with Newton will be front and center.

Perhaps Miami’s report is more impactful here, anyway. It’ll be easier for Stephon Gilmore to enact vengeance and put the clamps on DeVante Parker if he’s battling a hamstring issue, after all.

And shoutout to Kyle Van Noy, who unfortunately could not remain 100% prior to his attempted revenge game.

Bill Belichick is, of course, well known for participating in a bit of injury report chicanery whenever he can, downplaying issues that may or may not be severe. To see key contributors pop up on the report with very little clarity can be concerning — here’s hoping the Edelman report is just an example of full transparency, and he’ll be a full go when the spotlight turns on.

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