Patriots ready to turn to promising rookie following key defensive injuries

The New England Patriots' defense is going to look a lot different moving forward. After suffering injuries last week, top pass rusher Matthew Judon (elbow) and Christian Gonzalez (shoulder) are expected to miss significant time, if not the rest of the season.

Not only are those two of the Patriots' best defensive players playing key positions, they also had two of the highest usage rates on the unit. Prior to getting hurt, both led their respective positions in snaps played, with Gonzalez's usage rate over 80 percent, and Judon's right around 70 percent. How things will change schematically between the two players remains to be seen, but just who takes over those snaps is a question in and of itself.

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On Tuesday morning, linebackers coach and de facto co-defensive coordinator Jerod Mayo was asked about replacing those players, starting with Judon. "Judon's been great for us. In the locker room, in the meeting room, on the field," Mayo said. "We have other players - it's not going to be just one guy. It's going to be multiple guys trying to fill that role."

"I feel pretty confident about the guys that are on the roster," Mayo continued.

As a follow up, Mayo was asked about rookie second-round pick Keion White. White was a standout in training camp and has continued that momentum into the start of the regular season. Now, it sounds like the team is ready to give him more responsiblities with Judon out of the lineup.

"Keion has to - he's going to play more," Mayo said. "He's going to play more, simply said. And we'll really need him to show up."

"Every week we try to put a little bit more on his plate," Mayo said, talking about the progress White has made so far this year. "He's one of these guys who, he kind of doesn't fit in any mold like the [Deatrich] Wise category [as an edge-setter against the run] or the Judon category. He can kind of do both to a certain extent. He's doing well and is growing each and every week in the classroom and one the field."

As for Gonzalez and the cornerback position, Mayo didn't give any specific names but did emphasize the team's belief in the players currently on the roster.

"We have good players," he said. "We have guys that can play in those roles. Obviously, it hurts to lose a guy like Gonzo. But at the same time - we're kind of going through all of that whole process, the game plan process, right now. We feel pretty confident that we have guys that could fill that role."

While the Patriots may be confident in their current group of cornerbacks, it is worth noting that the group, as things stand right now, is limited. Gonzalez will join Jack Jones and Marcus Jones on IR. While Jack Jones is eligible to be activated this week, he's expected to miss more time. Jonathan Jones is still on the active roster but hasn't played in three weeks due to an ankle injury.

That leaves the team's only healthy full-time cornerbacks as Myles Bryant and Shaun Wade. Other options may include Jalen Mills who has played cornerback in the past but moved to safety this year, and rookie Ameer Speed, who was a cornerback in college but has played exclusively on special teams this year. The team also has Azizi Hearn and Breon Borders on the practice squad.

Ultimately, making up for the losses of Judon and Gonzalez will go beyond just whoever fills those two spots individually. It will be a team effort, as Mayo pointed out.

"Look, it's 11 guys out there on defense," he said. "And those guys understand, when you do have an injury, there's this next man up mentality."

Read more...

After a bad loss that saw the team lose multiple starters to injury, the New England Patriots look like they could use some help. The good news is, there could be some on the way this week.

The Patriots began the year with multiple projected starters or other contributors on either Injured Reserve (IR) or the Physically Unable To Perform (PUP) list. Players beginning the season those lists must miss at least four games, with Week 5 being the soonest they can be activated.

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Well, it's now Week 5. The Patriots have five players that could return to practice as soon as Wednesday.

In order for players to rejoin the active roster, first they are 'designated to return.' That means fully taking part in practice. Once players enter this window, the team has 21 days to officially add them to the active roster (and has to open up a roster spot to do so). Players in the 'designated to return' stage don't take up an active roster spot, but also aren't eligible to play in games until added to the active roster.

The process for players to return from IR or PUP is the same for both lists. However, for players on PUP the build-up can be a little more involved, given they didn't participate in any part of training camp and may be further from 'football shape.'

"We’ll see how that goes. That’s a possibility," Bill Belichick said when asked if the Patriots could have any players return this week. "As players come into that range of being eligible, then we ramp up the activity that they do to see how close they are and how well prepared they are. So, some of that will depend on how things went over the weekend and how things go Monday and Tuesday here before Wednesday’s practice for players like that. So, we’ll see how that goes. Maybe."

Here's a look at the five players who are eligible to return for the Patriots this week...

The Patriots' second-round pick in last year's draft, Thornton suffered an undisclosed shoulder injury during joint practices with the Green Bay Packers in August. This is the second year in a row he's missed the start of the season on IR.

Initial reporting following Thornton's injury suggested he was "not anticipated being out for long." In an offense that's lacking explosiveness right now, his speed could be helpful if he gets back in the wide receiver rotation.

Reiff was the Patriots' biggest offensive line addition this offseason, but struggled at right tackle early in training camp. A few weeks in he kicked inside to right guard, where things looked a lot better before he injured his knee in the preseason finale.

There hasn't been much reported on Reiff's status, or his timeframe to return. If he is healthy though, the Patriots certainly could use offensive line help right now, both at tackle and guard.

With Christian Gonzalez injuring his shoulder on Sunday, the Patriots' cornerback depth is now razor thin. Jonathan Jones has missed the last three games, with Jack Jones and Marcus Jones still on IR (Marcus Jones isn't eligible to return until next week, but is expected to miss more time).

Jack Jones returning certainly would be a huge boost to the secondary right now, but it might not be in the cards. ESPN's Mike Reiss wrote on Sunday that "some around the team were targeting midseason as a more likely timetable" for Jones to return. Jones is dealing with a hamstring injury that he suffered in practice leading up to Week 1.

The Patriots signed Flowers in early August, and almost immediately put him on PUP with an undisclosed injury. Still, Flowers has been around the team, including being present at (but not participating in) a handful of practices throughout the summer.

It's tough to tell where Flowers stands in terms of being ready to play. However, with Matthew Judon now expected to miss time, depth on the defensive line certainly is a need for the Patriots.

Davis is still recovering from a significant knee injury he suffered last October. While Davis remains around the team, there hasn't been any reporting to suggest a return is close.

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.