The New England Patriots walked out of Thursday night’s preseason opener with two injured starting offensive linemen, but the early read is that they may have dodged the worst-case scenario.
Center Ben Brown and left guard Andrew Rupcich both left the 13-13 tie with the Indianapolis Colts after lower-body injuries, sending the Patriots’ interior line depth into the spotlight almost immediately. Brown was the first to go down, and the sequence looked ugly from the start.
Late in the first quarter, quarterback Tommy DeVito was tackled into Brown’s legs, and the 28-year-old lineman stayed down for a bit before the medical staff reached him. He needed help getting to the sideline, went into the blue medical tent, and then was taken to the Patriots locker room. His night was over from there, and undrafted rookie Jacob Rizy stepped in for his NFL debut.
After the game, head coach Mike Vrabel didn’t have a firm update on Brown, but he sounded cautiously optimistic.
"No, he wasn't able to return unfortunately," Vrabel said. "We'll evaluate, hopefully know more in the morning. I don't think it's anything too serious, but I also don't want to speculate until we're able to do some more tests."
Brown’s exit already thinned out an offensive line group that doesn’t have much margin inside. The Patriots do have tackle depth, but at guard and center the options are tighter, with James Hudson - a converted tackle - at right guard and Mehki Butler, JonDarious Morgan and potentially first round rookie Caleb Lomu also in the mix there.
Then Rupcich went down, too.
On a second-half run play, the 27-year-old crumpled and grabbed at his left knee. The reaction from teammates suggested concern, but he was able to walk off under his own power.
After a trip to the medical tent, he stayed on the sideline and didn’t appear to be limping. Butler came in to replace him.
Rupcich later said he’s feeling OK and that his knee just got rolled up. He also left the locker room with ice wrapped around the knee, but seemed to be in good spirits.
For the Patriots, that’s the encouraging part: this wasn’t the kind of night that seemed headed for a true disaster. Brown’s outlook sounded somewhat positive, and Rupcich’s postgame tone was even more reassuring. Still, the interior line is clearly a spot worth watching.
The team had already brought in veteran Greg Van Roten for a workout earlier in the summer. Van Roten, who played in 17 games for the New York Giants last season, is one option if the Patriots decide they need help. Another street free agent could also be added as a camp body if the team wants more protection for its quarterbacks.
The bottom line from Thursday was simple: the Patriots didn’t come away clean, but they may have escaped with something far better than what it looked like in real time.
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