Patriots C David Andrews to reportedly miss ‘multiple games’ after thumb surgery
The Patriots will be in a bit of a jam with David Andrews undergoing thumb surgery.
Though New England Patriots center David Andrews returned to practice on Thursday after dealing with a thumb injury, that was apparently short-lived.
According to reports, Andrews could now miss several weeks after undergoing surgery this week to repair the issue. FOX Sports’ Jay Glazer said Andrews, who was wearing a cast on his hand/thumb on Thursday, tried snapping with his left hand, but that’s likely not going to work.
It looks like the Patriots are down another starter at a key position, but this isn’t something they aren’t used to.
Patriots center David Andrews reportedly could miss multiple games after undergoing surgery to repair a broken thumb. https://t.co/AJnnKc6K2y pic.twitter.com/RFVX4pYKp7
— Zack Cox (@ZackCoxNESN) September 25, 2020
Andrews had already missed all of 2019 after being diagnosed with blood clots in his lungs. He was cleared this offseason to return to football despite the career-threatening ailment and it was great news for the Pats, who had him as the starting center during their Super Bowl runs in 2016 and 2018.
However, they’re back at square one, and now have even fewer options to step in for Andrews after watching Ted Karras leave in free agency and the Marcus Cannon opt out affecting how flexible Bill Belichick can be along the offensive line. Don’t forget, though — Joe Thuney was taking reps at center during training camp to prepare for imminent disaster.
But there’s good news! Belichick loves where OL Hjalte Froholdt is at, and he could be Andrews’ fill-in at center for the time being.
Bill Belichick said C/G Hjalte Froholdt was “really ready by January, February” after rehabbing throughout the 2019 season (shoulder ailment, ‘19 preseason). “Still a young player, with a lot of room to grow,” he said.
— Mike Reiss (@MikeReiss) September 25, 2020
If C David Andrews (hand) can’t go, Froholdt could get call. pic.twitter.com/xBm2C27FqQ
The head coach revealed during Friday’s media session that Froholdt has had a good offseason after he missed his rookie year due to injury. The former fourth-round pick out of Arkansas actually began his college career as a defensive lineman before becoming a fixture on the offensive line at left guard. He started 25 games there during his sophomore and junior seasons and then split time between there and center his senior year, during which he didn’t allow a sack.
That kind of versatility against some of the best defenses in the country in the NCAA’s best conference? Yeah, sign Pats fans up for that!
The All-SEC Second-Team selection in 2018 could be getting a lot of reps over the next couple of weeks, so be on the lookout for him to record his first NFL snap in Week 3 against the Las Vegas Raiders.
