The Patriots have clarity on Will Campbell and his knee injury, according to new reports.
Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network reported Monday morning that Campbell is believed to have suffered a sprained MCL, avoiding the worst fears felt throughout New England Sunday afternoon. Instead of a torn ACL, which would have ended the rookie’s season, an MCL sprain gives Campbell a chance to return before the end of the 2025 campaign. Rapoport added that Campbell is a candidate to be placed on injured reserve, which would force him out for a minimum of four games. The Patriots have their bye week coming up in Week 14, so they have a decision to make as far as whether Campbell could be ready to return in under five weeks, which could keep him off IR.
Regardless, this counts as great news for the Pats and their promising rookie left tackle. Campbell suffered the injury during the third quarter of the team’s 26-20 win over the Cincinnati Bengals at Paycor Stadium, and appeared to be emotional as he was carted off the field. Teammates like Drake Maye and Stefon Diggs spoke about the injury as if Campbell would be out for a while, if not done for the season. It didn’t look, sound, or feel good. So, for Campbell to come out on the other side and find out he should be able to return for the end of the regular season or the playoffs, is a relatively positive result.
Campbell had a clean sheet in pass protection on Sunday, with no pressures allowed in 27 pass-blocking snaps against the Bengals, according to initial charting by Pro Football Focus. His backup, Vederian Lowe, entered the game and promptly allowed two pressures on his first drive, but appeared to settle down after that. the hope is that Lowe has been coached up behind the scenes by veteran offensive line coach Doug Marrone and offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels, and his best football is ahead of him.
In the meantime, watch for the Patriots to make a depth addition on the offensive line. They can explore other team’s practice squads and free agency, at this stage of the season. They already have 27-year-old Sebastian Gutierrez, a fourth-year pro with two career NFL games to his credit, on the practice squad. Look for him to potentially get some roster elevations for upcoming games.
Matt, a North Andover, Massachusetts native, has been with The Sports Hub since 2010. Growing up the son of Boston University All-American and Melrose High School hall-of-fame hockey player Steve Dolloff, sports was always a part of his life. After attending Northeastern University, Matt focused his love of sports on writing, extensively writing about all four major Boston teams. He also is a co-host of the Sports Hub Underground podcast and is a regular on-air contributor on the Sports Hub. Matt writes about all New England sports from Patriots football to Boston Celtics and Boston Bruins.
