Injured Patriot Offensive Lineman Trending in Right Direction
The New England Patriots' offense has been among the NFL's worst this season and a lot of that has to do with the offensive line. Injuries have plagued the Patriots' O-line throughout the year as names like David Andrews, Jake Andrews, and Caedan Wallace have ended up on the injured reserve or missed some kind of time.
Former 2022 first-round pick Cole Strange is another Patriots blocker who's missed time this fall. The Knoxville, TN native has yet to suit up since suffering a serious knee injury during Week 15 of the 2023 season, leaving New England fans to wonder when he'll be healthy enough to make his 2024 debut.
It turns out a return might not be that far away.
Patriots Receive Positive Cole Strange Injury News
Patriots head coach Jerod Mayo shared a positive injury update regarding Strange on Friday, per NFL insider Mike Reiss. According to Mayo, the 26-year-old blocker looks "like an NFL player" during his rehab and the coaching staff is fully considering using him as the starting center when he returns.
Cole Strange is “starting to look like an NFL player” in his rehabilitation from knee surgery, according to Jerod Mayo, and the team is “100%” considering him at center.
— Mike Reiss (@MikeReiss) October 11, 2024
With Dave and Jake Andrews both on the IR, the Patriots were forced to start Nick Leverett at center in the last two games. The former Rice product struggled with his expanded responsibilities in Week 5, though, surrendering a whopping 10 pressures on 35 offensive snaps in a 15-10 loss to the Miami Dolphins.
Given those struggles, it makes sense that the Patriots could wind up starting Strange in the middle.
Playing center would be a new challenge for Strange. The 6-foot-5, 310-pound blocker has only play snaps as a guard throughout both his NFL and collegiate runs, leaving time to tell if he can be an effective anchor at center.
But even if he doesn't have that experience, Strange is good enough to warrant the opportunity. The ex-Chattanooga blocker played to 66.2 run block and 57.7 pass block grades across 564 offensive snaps with the Patriots last season, per Pro Football Focus, while allowing only 22 pressures. It isn't hard to see how he'd improve New England's current situation.
More will likely be revealed about Strange's eventual return in the coming weeks. For now, the Patriots have to worry about figuring out how to beat the Houston Texans this weekend. FanDuel Sportsbook is currently listing New England as the 6.5-point underdog at Gillette Stadium.
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