Patriots tackle leaves team ahead of Week 2 game
The New England Patriots placed offensive tackle Chuks Okorafor on the exempt/left squad list on Saturday.
When the New England Patriots take the field for their Week 2 matchup with the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday, they’ll be without their starting left tackle from Week 1. The team placed Chuks Okorafor – who was benched midway through the second drive of that game – on the exempt/left squad list on Saturday.
The exempt/left squad list is for players who fail to report to the team. Once placed on the list players no longer count against the team’s 53-man roster limit. They can be reinstated at any time, and are not eligible to sign elsewhere while on the list. The Patriots used this list last year for quarterback Matt Corral, who they ultimately ended up releasing.
No reason was immediately given for Okorafor leaving the team, although he did inform them he planned on doing so per Doug Kyed of The Herald. The Patriots did not make a move to fill his roster spot.
Based on the brief periods where media is allowed to observe practice this week it looked as though Vederian Lowe – who replaced Okorafor last week – was in line to start this week. Lowe was removed from the injury report on Friday.
Okorafor, 27, was one of the Patriots’ first signings in free agency after being cut by the Pittsburgh Steelers. Over his first six seasons in the NFL Okorafor played exclusively right tackle, but the Patriots said in the spring they planned to move him to the left side. However Okorafor spent most of the summer working on the right side, before Lowe got injured late in camp.
The Patriots announced one other roster move on Saturday. Guard Michael Jordan was elevated from the practice squad for Sunday’s game. This is the second elevation in as many weeks for Jordan, who started at left guard last week in place of Sidy Sow (who is out with an ankle injury) and played wire-to-wire.
On the other side, the Seahawks made a couple of moves as well. They announced the elevations of running back George Holani and offensive tackle McClendon Curtis for Sunday. These moves come as starting running back Kenneth Walker and right tackle George Fant are listed as doubtful. Last year, over 90 percent of players listed as doubtful didn’t play that week.
