When LSU offensive tackle Will Campbell was drafted by the New England Patriots with the No. 4 overall pick on April 24, he promised he would “fight and die” to protect Patriots quarterback Drake Maye and his teammates along the offensive line.
Fortunately, Campbell has not needed to die to protect Maye, but he did suffer the first significant injury of his 12-game pro career on Sunday, in a game that saw the Patriots push past the Cincinnati Bengals 26-20 to improve their record to 10-2, best in the NFL.
Based on new information from Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel and other sources on Monday, Campbell may have eluded a worst case scenario with his knee injury.
Bengals Defender Rolls Up on Campbell’s Knee
The injury came with less than five minutes left in the third quarter at Paycor Stadium, when Campbell was blocking on a short carry by New England rookie running back TreVeyon Henderson. In a fray around the tackle, Bengals defensive end Cedric Johnson rolled up on Campbell’s right leg, bending the left tackle’s knee at an unnatural angle.
The 21-year-old rookie remained on the ground in obvious pain as team medical staff checked him out. He then walked off the field, though limping with clear discomfort. After he was examined in the sideline medical tent, Campbell was then seen on a cart with a towel over his head, seemingly to conceal the emotions displayed on his face, as he was driven to the locker room.
While the Patriots and their fans feared a potential season-ending injury for Campbell, new information emerging Monday morning appeared to point to a less-catastrophic scenario.
Vrabel: Rookie Will Miss ‘Couple Weeks’
âHe wonât be out there this week,â Patriots coach Mike Vrabel said at his Monday morning press briefing, as quoted by the Boston sports cable network NESN. âItâs going to be a couple weeks. Weâll have to make a decision here on the roster to see how long that will be, and go from there. But itâs nothing thatâs going to, hopefully, put him out for the entire season.â
Earlier, NFL Network reporter Ian Rapoport posted a similar scenario, saying that the “hope” is that Campbell “returns when it counts the most.”
“Campbell is believed to have suffered an MCL sprain and will have an MRI on his knee, sources said. Heâs a candidate for Injured Reserve,” the NFL insider wrote.
The Patriots face the New York Giants in a Monday Night Football matchup December 1. Their bye-week follows that game.
Injury Believed to be MCL Sprain
The level of Campbell’s sprain to his medial collateral ligament, the most important ligament of the inner knee, will not be known until the results of his MRI are revealed, but Nick Cattles, host of the Locked on Patriots podcast, posted on Monday morning that a Grade One MCL sprain, the least serious level, requires one to three weeks of recovery. Grade Two requires four to six weeks, and a Grade Three MCL sprain can take six to eight weeks or even more.
If Campbell is placed on the Injured Reserve list, he would be required to sit out at least four games, meaning that he would not become available, at the earliest, until Week 18, when the Patriots face the Miami Dolphins in the regular season finale â a game that, because the Dolphins also play in the AFC East, could prove critical to New England’s playoff positioning.
Campbell’s injury places extra urgency on the Patriots’ need to maintain the top record in the AFC, which would give them a first-round bye in the postseason, giving Campbell an extra week to fully recover before the team’s playoff opener.
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