The early report on the Mike Gesicki injury appears promising

It would appear that the Patriots may have dodged a bullet with the scary-looking shoulder injury that took tight end Mike Gesicki out of Monday's practice session. At least based on the latest word from NFL insider Ian Rapoport.

[Gesicki] suffered a mild dislocated shoulder during yesterday’s practice, source said," Rapoport tweeted Tuesday morning. "While nothing is given, the hope is he’s back for Week 1 despite the AC joint injury."

Based on the wording of Rapoport's tweet, Gesicki's preseason appears to be over before it truly started. But the good news is that the focus has seemingly shifted to Week 1, which is sounds like a legitimate possibility based on the injury's timeline.

Signed by the Patriots in March to a one-year deal worth up to $9 million, Gesicki is coming off a 2022 season that featured 32 receptions, 362 receiving yards, and five touchdowns in 17 games with Miami. The 6-foot-6, 245-pound tight end out of Penn State is also not too far removed from what was a career year, with career-highs in catches (73) and yards (780) in 2021.

Overall, the 2018 second-round pick has totaled 231 catches for 2,617 yards and 18 touchdowns in 81 career games.

With Gesicki out, the Patriots' preseason tight end depth chart remains headlined by Hunter Henry, but now features Anthony Firkser, Matt Sokol, Scotty Washington, and Johnny Lumpkin all moving up the board.

After wrapping things up in Foxborough, the Patriots have embarked out to Wisconsin, and will be out in Green Bay for joint practices with the Packers ahead of their Saturday night preseason showdown at Lambeau Field.

On Thursday night the Patriots' had their first game action of the 2023 NFL (pre)season. That means it's time for the return of the weekly Patriots Ups & Downs.

As is typically the case of the Patriots' preseason opener, the majority of the Patriots' veteran starters not playing in the game. That meant it was a good chance to evaluate both the rookie class, and some players sitting on the roster bubble.

Who made the most of the opportunities, and who came up short? Here are 10 players that were up or down on Thursday night based on the initial watch, without the benefit of any film review (in no particular order)...

Ekuale, competing for a backup defensive tackle role, was one of the first players to pop in this game. He had an early sack, would have had another if not for a penalty called against Anfernee Jennings, and added another run stuff. For now it looks like Ekuale is picking up where he left off last year when he filled in for Christian Barmore.

Look, the entire offensive line collectively could get its own down spot. That being said, we'll focus on individual players who stood out as particularly having bad games.

The first such player is McDermott, who is believed to be competing with Riley Reiff (who did not play in this game) for the starting right tackle job. McDermott got beat multiple times around the edge, and was called for a false start in this game. He started the game at left tackle - a spot he hadn't played all of camp - before moving to right tackle for some time in the second half.

Mills was back at safety in this game, returning to his old position after playing cornerback his first two seasons in New England. He looked comfortable and right at home making multiple plays in the first quarter. Not only did he have a read-and-react interception off C.J. Stroud, but he made multiple plays coming downhill in the run game. Mills always seemed like an ideal fit for the Patriots' rover safety role when he first signed in New England, and early indications are that evaluation was correct.

Like the offensive line, the Patriots' running backs could be a collective 'down' on Thursday night. Again though, we'll focus on specifics.

With the offensive line struggling, the lack of production from the running backs should come with a grain of salt. Still, there were a couple of moments in the passing game where Strong tried to do too much, lost his footing, and ended up limiting himself on the play. That includes a designed third-down swing pass that would have set Strong up with room to run had he not stumbled going into his route and caused Bailey Zappe to hold the ball a beat too long.

White was the star of the night for the Patriots' rookie class. Not only was he constantly in the backfield, but every single hit he made felt impactful. That was especially true on his forced fumble in the first quarter. On top of setting the edge, he showed and advanced pass-rush tool box. An over-pursuit of Stroud on the game's first drive that cost him a sack was his lone blemish on the night. Overall, it was a very encouraging performance from the Patriots' second-round pick.

The next rookie on our list, Sow got run around multiple times as a pass blocker on Thursday night. There's still a way to go for Sow, who is working on making the change from guard to tackle.

Take away a ticky-tack roughing the passer call, and Jennings played a really solid game while he was in during the first half. He had multiple QB pressures playing as the strong-side edge rusher, a job that could be up for grabs right now.

Numerous times, Randle's coverage assignments were left wide open in the middle of the field. The big, physical corner had trouble keeping up with some of the Texans' smaller, shiftier wide receivers.

Look, it was a tough night to evaluate wide receiver play. Quarterbacks rarely had enough time to lets receivers finish their route patterns, never mind find them downfield.

That being said, Kayshon Boutte did get himself open somewhat regularly. Often Bailey Zappe was already running away from pressure by the time he did, but it's still a good individual sign for Boutte.

Hines was another Patriots offensive lineman that had a rough night. He got bowled over at times run blocking, which in part led to the Patriots' issues on the ground.

It was a short but solid night for Thornton, but he needed it. After a rough start to camp, he had one highlight play that in itself addressed many of the individual skills he's struggled with.

Working up the sideline on the boundary, Thornton found the hole in the Cover-2 defense between the boundary cornerback and safety. Zappe threw the ball up high, but Thornton was able to go up and high-point it snatch it out of the air, holding on through contact with the ground for a 27-yard gain. After a strong training camp practice and now two grabs on Thursday night, Thornton is starting to build a little momentum.

Fagot is already facing an uphill battle for a roster spot, and didn't help his case on Thursday night when he got called for a neutral zone infraction on a 4th & 1 that turned a would-be Texans punt into a first down. Those kinds of miscues aren't going to help his standing with Bill Belichick.

Saving the most exciting player of the night for last in Cunningham. He got some reps at wide receiver early in the game, but didn't get a target. It wasn't until he came in the game at quarterback in the fourth quarter that he started catching people's attention.

In his lone drive, Cunningham led a 14-play, 75-yard, 7:58 drive that he capped himself with a touchdown run, juking Texans linebacker Jake Hansen to the ground. In total Cunningham completed 3-of-4 passes for 19 yards and ran the ball another five times for 34 yards and the score, showing the electric ability he displayed in four years as a starter at Louisville.

Alex Barth is a writer and 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. Thoughts? Comments? Questions? Looking for a podcast guest? Let him know on Twitter @RealAlexBarth or via email at abarth@985TheSportsHub.com.

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Ty Anderson is a writer and columnist for 985TheSportsHub.com. Any opinions expressed do not necessarily reflect those of 98.5 The Sports Hub, Beasley Media Group, or any subsidiaries. Yell at him on Twitter: @_TyAnderson.