The New England Patriots have, largely, been spared from any major injury issues on the defensive side of the ball during training camp thus far. With one preseason game left to play before the franchise sets its sights on the 17-game regular season schedule, the hope is that luck continues for the foreseeable future.
While Mike Vrabel is certainly happy that the two-deep on the Patriots' depth chart hasn't had to be shaken up too much in training camp, the team hasn't gone through the exhibition season without suffering any injuries whatsoever. Fans were reminded of that on Monday when one reserve defensive lineman was placed on the Injured Reserve, ending his 2025 campaign before it ever really got going.
Eliot Wolf says Isaiah Iton is being place on IR after suffering a hip injury on Saturday
— Alex Barth (@RealAlexBarth) August 18, 2025
New Patriots DT Isaiah Iton's Season Is Over After Preseason Game Injury
After his collegiate career at Rutgers University came to an end, Isaiah Iton was not selected in the 2024 NFL Draft. This led to him signing with the Tennessee Titans and spending this past season as a member of their practice squad.
His stint in Nashville only lasted that one season, but Iton did enough during a showing at New England's rookie minicamp in May of this year to be signed to a reserves/futures contract. This provided Iton with the opportunity to prove his worth to Mike Vrabel and the coaching staff in training camp, but that all changed on Monday when he was placed on the IR with a hip injury.
Before his injury, Iton appeared in both of the Patriots' preseason games and recorded three total tackles, including one tackle for a loss. As Mike D'Abate of New England Patriots on SI noted, Iton had performed quite well against a formidable Minnesota Vikings offensive front this past weekend before injuring his hip.
Would that have been enough to help him land on the 53-man roster? Only Mike Vrabel knows the answer to that question, and it is highly unlikely he will share that opinion with anyone moving forward.
With Iton done for the season, New England made a corresponding roster move on Monday and replaced the defensive tackle's spot on the roster with free agent wide receiver Phil Lutz.