By Matt Dolloff, 985TheSportsHub.com
The Patriots offense took yet another blow after Thursday’s win over the New York Giants. They are officially out of fullbacks, as the Boston Globe’s Jim McBride is reporting that Jakob Johnson will be placed on injured reserve with a shoulder injury.
Johnson appeared to injure himself as a blocker on Brandon Bolden’s rushing touchdown in the second quarter. He did not play another snap after that.
The rookie out of the league’s International Pathway Program had been filling in for James Develin, who is also on IR with a neck injury and appears to be a long shot to return. While losing Johnson should hardly cripple the offense, they will certainly have to reinvent their running game if they don’t plan on adding another fullback.
New England is all sorts of banged up on offense right now. Receivers Julian Edelman and Josh Gordon are playing through injuries, and Gordon suffered a new knee injury on Thursday while tackling the Giants’ Markus Golden during a fumble return.
Jakob Johnson of the New England Patriots lines up on special teams during a game against the New York Jets during a game at Gillette Stadium on September 22, 2019 in Foxborough, Massachusetts. (Photo by Adam Glanzman/Getty Images)
Tight end Matt LaCosse, meanwhile, appeared to re-injure or aggravate his ankle. He also didn’t return after the Bolden touchdown and looked hobbled during the play.
Excluding players who couldn’t finish Thursday’s game, the Patriots’ only healthy receivers right now are Edelman, Jakobi Meyers, and Gunner Olszewski. Ryan Izzo is the only healthy tight end.
On the offensive line, Isaiah Wynn needs to remain on IR for at least four more weeks. So hopefully they can survive with Marshall Newhouse starting for another month. But Newhouse has been inconsistent at best as the starter there, while the rest of the O-line hasn’t been as crisp as it was in 2018.
Obviously, the injuries didn’t stop the Patriots from scoring 21 points and netting 427 yards of offense. With the way they’re dominating on defense and special teams, that may be plenty enough to win most weeks. But if only for depth purposes, they could use an addition from outside the organization at tackle, tight end, and receiver.
Matt Dolloff is a digital producer for 985TheSportsHub.com. Any opinions expressed do not necessarily reflect those of 98.5 The Sports Hub, Beasley Media Group, or any subsidiaries. Have a news tip, question, or comment for Matt? Follow him on Twitter @mattdolloff or email him at matthew.dolloff@bbgi.com.