Compared with how things looked when Patriots rookie left tackle Will Campbell first went down on the field against the Bengals in Week 12, grasping his knee, carted off to the locker room, the fact that he’s got an MCL injury that does not rule out his potential return this season–it sure had the feel of a season-ending torn ACL at the time–was good news, indeed.
Campbell had been in the midst of a very good rookie season, one that was improving all the time, and was a key figure in the resurgence of an offensive line that was rated the worst in the NFL in 2024. His absence is significant.
Still, he could return. But the Patriots did take the step of putting Campbell on injured reserve, which will ensure he gets at least five weeks off, basically costing him all of the team’s stretch run. Campbell must miss four games, and with the New England bye week upon us, that means his earliest possible re-appearance is in the season finale against the Jets.
Patriots Had 3 Factors in Deciding to Put Will Campbell on IR
In talking about the Patriots’ decision to put Campbell on injured reserve, coach Mike Vrabel revealed the things that factored into that result, which are also the factors that will be used to determine whether Campbell can get back on the field.
Vrabel was responding on WEEI in Boston to a question about a report from Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated that said the team put Campbell on IR as a precautionary measure.
“I am going to assume that every player wants to get back as fast as possible,” Vrabel said. “There’s a lot of reports on everything that we do. I am not gonna say which ones are most accurate or which ones aren’t. But eventually, I mean, I am going to make the decisions on whether the players play or are they not.”
Vrabel then said what factors help him make that decision: “And I go through the same thing: Can they protect themselves? Can they make it worse? Can they do their job up to what we expect from them and what they expect from themselves?”
GettyPatriots coach Mike Vrabel explains why Will Campbell wound up on injured reserve.
Will Campbell an Enthusiastic Favorite Already
Campbell, despite being a mild-mannered Southerner with an aw-shucks disposition, has already won the hearts of Patriots fans with his hard-nosed approach on the field. He was the guy, after all, who said he’d “die” for Drake Maye after the Patriots picked him with the No. 4 choice in this year’s NFL draft.
Reading between the lines on Vrabel’s statement, there does seem to be a fear that if the Patriots did not put Campbell on IR, the enthusiastic rookie would have pushed himself to come back perhaps before he was ready. Giving him five weeks will guarantee he is focusing on just getting healthy, and not getting back onto the field. The Patriots want him to be their left tackle for a long, long time.
“So we felt like the best thing was to put Will on the IR. And he is working hard to come back just like everybody else that wasn’t available in the football game,” Vrabel said.
Patriots Offensive Line Held Up Nicely on Monday
It’s worth noting that, even with Campbell and fellow rookie Jared Wilson (ankle injury) gone from the left side of the offensive line, the Patriots held up nicely throughout their first showing with new starters Ben Brown and Vederian Lowe on the field. Both filled in during the Bengals win the previous week.
By Pro Football Focus’ ratings, Brown had the fourth-best rating of anyone on the offensive side of the ball on Monday, with a 76.9 grade. Lowe was good, too, with a 65.7 grade, which was ninth of the 18 players who appeared on offense.
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