Patriots Week 5 injury report: Julian Edelman, Shaq Mason and Covid-19
Here are key injuries to watch ahead of the New England Patriots Week 5 matchup with the Denver Broncos.
The New England Patriots will get an extra day to prepare for the Denver Broncos as the NFL has moved the Sunday matchup to Monday night after Stephon Gilmore became the latest player to test positive for COVID-19 this week.
The extra day will give some important players a little bit more time to get right as the team tries to get back in the win column before their bye week possible without Cam Newton at quarterback. One of those players is Julian Edelman.
With the veteran wide receiver not looking like himself in the team’s 26-10 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs, Chowder & Champions’ co-site expert Sam Minton wondered if something was wrong with Edelman whose head didn’t seem to be in the game on Monday night.
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With a couple of drops, one of which led to a pick-6 off second-year quarterback Jarrett Stidham, one has to wonder if both injury and age is starting to slow Julian Edelman.
Listed as a limited participant due to his knee, Edelman is a player to watch when and if the team plays on Monday. With the team’s lack of playmakers on the offensive side of the ball, the health and availability of Julian Edelman is essential for whoever is taking snaps at the quarterback position for the New England Patriots.
Also important for that starting quarterback is the offensive line.
New England Patriots O-line stars Shaq Mason and Isaiah Wynn limited
New England Patriots offensive lineman Isaiah Wynn did play Monday night against the Kansas City Chiefs, but still remains limited due to a calf injury. With David Andrews out and Joe Thuney shifting around the offensive line, Wynn should be ready to go against the Denver Broncos.
However, the jury is still out on tough offensive lineman Shaq Mason, who is also dealing with a calf injury. The Patriots’ offensive line was still able to come through against the Chiefs’ defensive line, but health is becoming a concern for one of the team’s best units.
The one positive with the injuries is some of the younger offensive lineman are getting experience and snaps like rookie Michael Onwenu who is emerging as the team’s best rookie in that 2020 NFL draft class as highlighted by Chowder & Champions contributor Michael DeVito.
Cam Newton, Stephon Gilmore and COVID-19
While there still remains a possibility that Cam Newton returns at quarterback for the New England Patriots in Week 5, the team will probably be without top defensive player Stephon Gilmore who was the latest player to test positive for COVID-19.
With now three players testing positive, include practice squad player Bill Murray, the Patriots and fans are on high alert of other players testing positive in the coming days. As of Thursday, no other players have tested positive besides Gilmore which is the good news.
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The possibly bad news is all the players Stephon Gilmore was in contact with before and after Monday night’s game against the Kansas City Chiefs. It takes up to five days for positive results to show. It is possible COVID-19 is not done tackling the New England Patriots.
As we have seen with the Tennessee Titans, more positive tests will put the Monday night matchup against the Denver Broncos in series jeopardy.