The New England Patriots will be without rookie offensive lineman Will Campbell for the foreseeable future, but the team might have dodged a major bullet with the tackle’s knee injury.
Campbell left the Patriots’ Week 12 win over the Cincinnati Bengals with a knee injury. The LSU product left on a cart and was quickly ruled out, with all signs pointing to a major, long-term injury.
The bad news for the Patriots is that Campbell will miss time, but the good news is that he could be back this season. NFL Media’s Ian Rapoport reported on Nov. 24 that Campbell suffered a sprained MCL. He’ll still have an MRI to determine the severity of the injury, but for Patriots fans, it’s a lot better than waking up to reports of something like a torn ACL.
When Patriots Might Get Will Campbell Back (This Season)
According to Rapoport, Campbell might end up on injured reserve, but “the hope (is) he returns when it counts the most.”
That’s in line with what Patriots coach Mike Vrabel said on WEEI the morning after the win in Cincinnati.
“There will be some players who went out of that game who won’t be there Monday night. … I wouldn’t imagine Will is going to play in the game,” Vrabel said on “The Greg Hill Show” early Monday morning. “I don’t think that’ll be something that will happen. … That injury is probably going to be more than a week or two.
“Sprains have different severities. Sprain, strain, not sure. But I just know he’s probably not going to be there (in Week 13).”
Rapoport also stressed in an appearance on NFL Network that it’s no guarantee Campbell can return this season.
“He’s gonna have an MRI (Monday), more information coming. The hope, the hope, is that this is something he can return for later in the season, potentially for the playoffs, but all the information is not here yet, so we’ll be waiting throughout the day.”
Even if Campbell has a bad MCL sprain that keeps him out for the rest of the season and even the playoffs, it’s still better than a tear that would require major surgery and keep him out for a chunk of next season, too.
Patriots Facing Injury Adversity for First Time This Season
Campbell’s injury is slightly compounded by the fact that it wasn’t the only offensive line setback in Cincinnati. Rookie guard Jared Wilson left early with an ankle injury and left the stadium in a walking boot, according to reporters.
If neither can return in the short term, the Patriots likely would call on Vederian Lowe and Ben Brown to take their respective spots on the left side of the offensive line protecting Drake Maye’s blindside.
Maye raved about both in his postgame press conference, saying the duo “mean a lot to me.” The Campbell-Wilson combo on the left side could be a building block for years to come. As ESPN’s Mike Reiss pointed out, Campbell and Wilson are only the second pair of rookies to open the season as the starting left tackle and guard since 2000.
After experiencing an impressive run of injury luck through the first three months of the season, New England is facing some true adversity now. In addition to the injuries on the offensive line, the Patriots recently placed star defensive tackle Milton Williams on injured reserve, too.
The Patriots, who have played the NFL’s easiest schedule this season, get another potential layup in Week 13. They’ll host the New York Giants on “Monday Night Football,” opening as 7-point favorites at ESPN Bet and getting bet up to 7.5 points despite the Campbell injury news.
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