The New England Patriots desperately need to bounce back next season.
Now, they might have to kick things off without one of their most important players.
According to a report by Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network, Cole Strange might miss a big portion of the upcoming season with a lingering knee injury that just won’t go away.
#Patriots starting guard Cole Strange, who is still dealing with a significant knee injury suffered late last season, is expected to miss the start of the 2024 season and may be out until the middle of the season, sources say.
Strange has started every game he’s played in NE.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) May 21, 2024
Per Rapoport’s tweet, the 25-year-old guard will miss the start of the season, but he could be on the shelf until the middle of the campaign.
Needless to say, not having one of your starting offensive linemen is a massive blow for any team, but particularly for this one.
The Patriots have been struggling with multiple injuries on the offensive line for the past couple of seasons.
Still, it seems like this wasn’t much of a surprise to Jerod Mayo and Eliot Wolf.
The Patriots signed veteran guard Nick Leverett and then drafted Layden Robinson in the fourth round out of Texas A&M, so they may have been well aware of Strange’s condition for quite a while now.
Reports from OTAs state that the Patriots featured Sidy Sow and Leverett as their top guards, and that could be the starting duo in Mayo’s first year in charge, with Robinson sliding into the mix every now and then for depth while Strange works his way back to the field.
Still, this team isn’t particularly expected to be a contender next season, and they’ll focus mostly on Drake Maye’s development, whether it’s on the field or off it.
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