The Patriots got a welcome sight on Tuesday as Carlton Davis III got back on the practice field, putting himself in the mix ahead of Thursday night’s matchup with the Bears.
Davis had been sidelined by a neck injury, missing six practices and two straight games before taking part in New England’s walkthrough. He opened the week as a non-participant on Monday’s estimated injury report, then moved up to limited work the next day. That’s progress, but his status for Thursday at Soldier Field is still up in the air.
The veteran cornerback has played in three games this season and has 16 tackles. His neck issue already popped up before Week 2 against the Steelers, and after that he went on to play all 59 defensive snaps against the Bills before missing more time.
New England’s offensive line remained a concern on the injury report. Guards Alijah Vera-Tucker and Ben Brown were still out, with hamstring and knee injuries, respectively. Both missed last weekend’s game against the Jets, and head coach Mike Vrabel said they would likely not be back for Thursday.
Right tackle Morgan Moses also remained limited while dealing with a foot injury. He left the Jets game in the first quarter after the Patriots’ first nine offensive snaps, and Caleb Lomu stepped in. Matt Pryor and Walter Rouse also saw time in the rotation.
Elsewhere, defensive tackle Joshua Farmer missed practice again because of a personal matter.
Four players were listed as limited besides Davis and Moses: wide receiver AJ Brown (ankle), cornerbacks Channing Canada (hamstring) and Karon Prunty (hamstring).
The rest of the full participants list included quarterback Drake Maye (right shoulder), running back TreVeyon Henderson (ankle), offensive tackles Will Campbell (knee) and Marcus Bryant (ankle), linebackers Dre’Mont Jones (shoulder) and Christian Elliss (chest), safeties Kevin Byard III (chest) and Craig Woodson (shoulder), and kicker Andy Borregales (personal).
Bryant’s status stands out, too, after New England opened his 21-day activation window following his designation to return from injured reserve.
For the Patriots, Davis getting back on the field was the headline development as they keep preparing for the Bears.
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Lomus play has put real pressure on the veteran starter ahead of him on the depth chart, especially with Moses status still unclear. If the injury keeps Moses sidelined much longer, the Patriots may have to make a decision they probably hoped to avoid this early in the year, because Lomu has already shown enough to make the conversation more than theoretical. [Read more 🡒]
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Still, the return did not look especially clean on Browns end, which is where the immediate concern comes in. He was heavily involved but did not turn that volume into much production, a sign there is still some rust to knock off as the Patriots turn quickly to a Thursday Night Football matchup with the Bears. [Read more 🡒]