Patriots dealing with another setback ahead of preseason finale
The injury bug that has plagued much of the NFL this offseason has fortunately been mostly avoided by the Patriots, as they haven't dealt with many substantial injuries to their roster thus far. However, the players who have suffered an injury continue to be members of the weakest part of the roster, the offensive line.
First, it was revealed that Cole Strange's injury was more serious than initially known, and he will miss a great deal of the upcoming season. Then came the news about Calvin Anderson's health scare and Jake Andrews' torn meniscus that will keep him sidelined for the 2024 season.
Although Anderson is back with the team and isn't expected to miss any time, the offensive line roster is depleted and just became more of a problem with the latest news regarding Vederian Lowe.
Patriots offensive lineman dealing with an oblique injury heading into preseason game vs. the Commanders
The presumed starting left tackle, at least based on what we saw during training camp, Vederian Lowe, reportedly left practice early on Wednesday to deal with what appeared to be an injury.
It has since been reported by the Boston Globe's Christopher Price that Lowe is dealing with an oblique injury that is not considered serious. Given the injury, it's likely he will miss practice time and the preseason finale, which doesn't bode well for the state of the offensive line.
According to a league source, OT Vederian Lowe is dealing with a “minor” oblique injury. Not expected to be a long-term thing.
— Christopher Price (@cpriceglobe) August 22, 2024
Because it appeared the offensive coaching staff were high on Lowe as the starter on the left side, his absence creates a problem in their effort to finalize the starting roster over the next several days. The group has already been struggling, so having a player sidelined for the foreseeable future isn't ideal.
This creates an opportunity for a guy like Caedan Wallace to prove he can hold down the left side in his absence, as he was drafted for that reason. But Jerod Mayo has experimented so much with players on the offensive line that it's difficult to say if that will work since he hasn't already made that call with Wallace.
The only silver lining is that Lowe's injury is said to be minor, and there's still plenty of time for him to be back by Week 1 of the regular season. That will be crucial if he is named the starter, especially since the first month of the season is a tough one for the Patriots.
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