Latest update on Patriots offensive lineman not great for his 2024 return

The Patriots had mostly avoided the injury bug going around the league to start the 2024 season until their Week 2 matchup with the Seahawks this past weekend. The first injury report released for their first AFC East opponent on the schedule, which happens to be on a short week, revealed every starting offensive lineman was dealing with some sort of ailment.

Not exactly ideal heading into just the third game of the year.

To make matters even worse, the team unexpectedly placed tackle Chukwuma Okorafor on the exempt/left list over the weekend without much explanation. As more details were released in the days that followed, it's not looking good for the veteran's potential return.

The rumor had been about his unhappiness with being benched in the Patriots' first game against the Bengals since Okorafor was pulled as the starting left tackle after just 12 snaps. He was replaced by Vederian Lowe and remained on the sideline for the rest of the game, which many believe prompted his decision to abruptly leave the team.

It was, of course, one of the first questions asked of Jerod Mayo when speaking to reporters and revealed more to the story than just a player leaving due to a disagreement about being benched.

The head coach shared that he and the rest of the Patriots staff had been in contact with Okorafor, much different from their situation with quarterback Matt Corral last year, and the tenured lineman is considering his NFL future, prompting his exit.

Because the offensive line is far from performing at the level the offense needs, it's quite a loss not to have Okorafor around. He might not have been the guy to be the starting left tackle, likely because he played right tackle his entire career. However, depth players are just as important as starters, so not having him even on the sideline is significant.

His future in New England is up in the air and not much more has been provided from Mayo other than Okorafor still has a locker at Gillette Stadium and the head coach didn't declare he won't be returning at some point later this year.

But ESPN's Mike Reiss shares the general sentiment that we likely won't see him in a Patriots jersey again.

While it would be disappointing to see Okorafor not return, the most important thing in this situation is that he feels good mentally and physically. There is a lot more life to live outside of football, and if he is dealing with something making him question his current direction, he should handle that and step away from the game.

Hopefully, he will figure it out, and if that means he returns to the Patriots, that's great. If not, the team will need to wish him well and look for more help for the roster.

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