masslive.com

5 Patriots starters limited with injuries heading into Jets game

FOXBOROUGH – The Patriots are limping into their Thursday night matchup against the New York Jets.

On Tuesday, the team held its only true practice of the week. During the media’s brief availability, it was clear that Rhamondre Stevenson (toe), Kayshon Boutte (hamstring), Terrell Jennings (knee), Christian Elliss (hip), and Jack Gibbens (hamstring) were very limited.

While the Patriots went through their normal warmup, that group of five players worked off to the side. On one field, Boutte, Jennings, Elliss, and Gibbens were working off to the side. Stevenson wasn’t with that group, but in a different spot, warming up by himself.

The Patriots were also missing tight end Austin Hooper (concussion) and defensive tackle Joshua Farmer (ankle) at Tuesday’s practice.

Before practice, Mike Vrabel said he didn’t have any updates on his long list of injured players.

“We’ll know after practice. We’ll have a better idea,” Vrabel said. “Again, I think that, somehow, the guys progress after the game, so just kind of see where they are. We’ll have a couple guys do a little bit more than maybe everybody else does just to try to be able to evaluate, see what we have for the game. Then, some of the guys that we didn’t have available, we’ll have to see something from them to make a quick decision.

“Again, this is the all-hands-on-deck week, and prepare as a starter, so we’ll see where some of that shakes out.”

The two positions of concern for the Patriots are running back and linebacker.

The Patriots currently have all three running backs on their active roster, dealing with injuries - Stevenson (toe), TreVeyon Henderson (knee), and Jennings (knee). The team has veteran D’Ernest Johnson on the practice squad and on Tuesday, signed veteran Jonathan Ward to their practice squad.

At linebacker, Elliss missed last week’s game due to a hip injury. Gibbens stepped up in Elliss’s absence, finishing with 10 tackles and a pass breakup. Now, both players are limited by injuries.

The Patriots still have starter Robert Spillane, Marte Mapu, and Jahlani Tavai at linebacker. Last weekend, they called up Darius Harris from the practice squad.

Patriots injury report

DID NOT PARTICIPATE

TE Austin Hooper, Concussion

DL Joshua Farmer, Ankle

LIMITED PARTICIPATION

WR Kayshon Boutte, Hamstring

LB Christian Elliss, Hip

LB Jack Gibbens, Hamstring

RB Terrell Jennings, Knee

RB Rhamondre Stevenson, Toe

FULL PARTICIPATION

DT Christian Barmore, Back

C Garrett Bradbury, Hip

K’Lavon Chaisson, Ankle

S Jaylinn Hawkins, Shoulder

RB TreVeyon Henderson, Knee

CB Marcus Jones, Elbow

LB Marte Mapu, Neck

CB Charles Woods, Foot

If you purchase a product or register for an account through a link on our site, we may receive compensation. By using this site, you consent to our User Agreement and agree that your clicks, interactions, and personal information may be collected, recorded, and/or stored by us and social media and other third-party partners in accordance with our Privacy Policy.

Read full news in source page