According to head coach Jerod Mayo, there is a chance the third-round draft pick will return later in the year.
The New England Patriots are sending two members of their offensive line to injured reserve. According to head coach Jerod Mayo, offensive tackle Caedan Wallace and center David Andrews are headed for the reserve list.
Andrews moving to IR does not come as a surprise. The team captain suffered a shoulder injury in Sunday’s loss to the San Francisco 49ers, and Mayo himself already announced earlier this week that he would undergo season-ending surgery.
Wallace’s outlook, on the other hand, remained unclear until Friday.
A third-round selection in this year’s draft, the Penn State product competed for a starting role at one of New England’s offensive tackle spots over the course of his first NFL training camp. He eventually started the season in a reserve role, seeing playing time as what offensive line coach Scott Peters refers to as a “muscle tight end.”
However, with starting left tackle Vederian Lowe dealing with a knee injury and with top backup Chukwuma Okorafor leaving the team, he was moved into a starting role for Week 3 against the New York Jets. Wallace, just like the rest of the O-line, struggled in the game and was moved back into a backup role versus the 49ers.
On one of his tight end snaps, he got rolled up on from behind and injured his ankle in the process. The team ruled him out for the remainder of the contest shortly thereafter, and he ended up missing the first two days of practice this week.
Now, he will be moved off the 53-man roster alongside Andrews; New England will have two open spots as a result.
Per his head coach, however, “there is a chance” that Wallace eventually returns later in the season.
New England will host the Miami Dolphins at Gillette Stadium this Sunday for a 1 p.m. ET kickoff.