New England’s offensive line just can’t catch a break, taking another nasty hit against the Philadelphia Eagles on Saturday. It was brutal right from the start, on the game’s first drive, when right tackle Marcus Bryant stayed down after a short run play.
Another Man Down For The O-Line
Bryant walked off the field under his own power, which is always a relief to see, but he needed support from the Patriots’ training staff. He headed straight to the blue medical tent on the sidelines, and then, the bad news: he was helped to the locker room. The team later confirmed he wouldn’t return to the game due to an ankle injury. Dude’s only 24, a seventh-round pick back in the day, 220th overall.
Depth Chart Getting Tested Early
Bryant wasn’t a starter, typically serving as a backup at right tackle. He played in 12 games as a rookie, but only saw offensive action in three of them, often riding the pine as a healthy scratch from December on. Still, he’d stepped up big this summer, playing a prominent role on the O-line. He was one of the two main backup tackles alongside first-round rookie Caleb Lomu, behind starters Will Campbell and Morgan Moses. With Bryant out, rookie Dametrious Crownover had to jump into the lineup. This isn’t just one guy, either. Last week against the Colts, their top two interior backups, Ben Brown and Andrew Rupcich, both got dinged up. Brown is looking at multiple weeks out, and Rupcich? He was put on injured reserve and then waived with an injury settlement.
Talk about a tough break early on! Losing multiple linemen so soon, even in August, really tests your depth before things even truly heat up. You just gotta wonder how many more hits that O-line can take before it’s a full-blown crisis.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Pats Pulpit.
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