Things went from bad to worse for the New England Patriots on Wednesday.
Center David Andrews, the top leader in the locker room, will miss the rest of the season due to a shoulder injury, according to multiple reports. NFL Media’s Ian Rapoport was the first to report the news on Andrews, whose injury forced him to leave last Sunday’s loss to the San Francisco 49ers.
Let’s go over the latest on Andrews, including his plans for the future.
David Andrews Reportedly Not Considering Retirement
Here’s the full report from Rapoport:
“Patriots center and captain David Andrews is expected to have surgery to repair a significant shoulder injury and will likely be placed on season-ending Injured Reserve, sources say. One of the NFL’s toughest players, if Andrews could possibly go, he would. Brutal reality.”
It's impossible to overstate how valuable David Andrews is to the #Patriots. He is, as one close observer noted, the heart-and-soul of the locker room.
Andrews tried like crazy for a different outcome. But this appears to be the only choice for the NE stalwart. https://t.co/C5DPnTJKpz
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) October 2, 2024
Losing Andrews is another crippling blow to the Patriots, who lost defensive captain Ja’Whaun Bentley to a torn pectoral in Week 2. New England also likely will play the rest of the season without defensive tackle Christian Barmore (blood clots), and safety Kyle Dugger could miss extended time due to an ankle issue.
Andrews, who joined the Patriots as an undrafted free agent in 2015, is a two-time champion and one of the more respected leaders in recent franchise history. He also is one of the best centers in football, although he’d be the first to admit his play this season wasn’t up to his standard.
Andrews, 32, considered retiring last offseason. Yet, multiple reports indicate he plans to play in 2025.
Here’s what MassLive’s Mark Daniels wrote shortly before Rapoport broke the news of Andrews’ surgery plans:
“Andrews, according to a source, is deciding when to have the procedure. The team captain wants to play this season, and fight through the injury, but that could hurt his chances of playing in the 2025 season.
“At this time, Andrews’ decision comes down to when to have the surgery. If he finds out that playing through it will cost him the 2025 season, there’s a chance he opts to have it now. That’ll mean the Patriots won’t have their leader, captain, and starting center for the remaining 13 games.”
So, with Andrews opting to have surgery now, it’s fair to assume he has an eye toward suiting up next season.
But how will the Patriots go about filling his spot in 2024?
How Patriots Will Replace Andrews After Season-Ending Injury
First of all, there’s no replacing Andrews. When healthy, he’s among the more consistent and toughest centers in the game.
That said, the Patriots have a capable veteran replacement in Nick Leverett, who played well against the 49ers after subbing in for Andrews. Barring an unforeseen addition, Leverett likely will serve as the top center going forward.
New England doesn’t have any additional center depth on the 53-man roster. However, the practice squad currently features undrafted rookie Liam Fornadel, who has guard/center flexibility, and fellow rookie Bryan Hudson, who is a true center.
Second-year pro Jake Andrews, a fourth-round pick in 2023, isn’t an option as he’s on season-ending injured reserve. Guard Cole Strange could switch to center when he’s ready to return from injury, but he hasn’t practiced since suffering a torn patellar tendon late last season.
The Patriots likely will add center depth sometime this week.