On Tuesday, the New England Patriots made a series of roster moves ahead of their first open training camp practice. Four players landed on the physically unable to perform (PUP) list, while one was placed on the active non-football injury (NFI) list. All players involved are eligible to practice at any time.
Patriots Place 5 Players on Injury Lists
Here’s the full list of players who landed on injury lists, per the NFL’s transaction wire:
RB Antonio Gibson — NFI List
It’s unclear why Gibson was placed on the NFI list. However, it’s important to note he’s on the non-football injury list, rather than the non-football illness list. The distinction confirms that Gibson is dealing with some sort of injury, the severity of which is unknown.
The veteran signed with the Patriots during the offseason and projects as the primary third-down running back.
WR Kendrick Bourne — PUP List
Kendrick Bourne continues to rehab from a torn ACL suffered last October. The veteran receiver recently said he expected to be ready for the start of training camp, but it’s fair to wonder whether he could remain sidelined for the first few weeks — if not longer. Patriots head coach Jerod Mayo was asked about Bourne on Tuesday.
“So, those guys are going to go out here and run here in a second, so we’ll evaluate that,” Mayo said. “He’s been progressing, and we’ll see what it looks like.”
OG Cole Strange — PUP List
Cole Strange suffered a torn patellar tendon late last season and could miss more than half the season. However, the third-year guard has been around the facility throughout the offseason and is making steady progress.
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“He’s been in here every day; I don’t even think he really took a break,” Mayo said on Tuesday. “He’s trying to get out there on the field, and I appreciate it. I’m not exactly sure what that looks like, but we’ll see how he progresses going forward.”
LB Sione Takitaki — PUP List
Sione Takitaki is recovering from a knee scope procedure, according to ESPN’s Mike Reiss. In June, he told A to Z Sports’ Sophie Weller that he planned to be ready for Day 1 of training camp.
“It’s something I’ve been dealing with since last year,” Takitaki said. “Something that we’re not worried about, but it’s just something we want to nip in the bud before training camp. So, I haven’t been skipping a beat. I’ve been working out hard. Taking all the mental reps I can.
“And it’s just again, something we’re not worried about, but it’s awesome to have the Patriots just making sure that I can knock it out as training camp is coming. … I’ll be out there at training camp. Won’t miss a day.”
Again, all of these players can be activated at any time, including before Wednesday’s training camp opener. But it’s fair to wonder whether Takitaki’s prognosis was inaccurate.
OL Jake Andrews — PUP List
Andrews is also dealing with an undisclosed injury, potentially the same one that kept him sidelined during minicamp.
A fourth-round pick in the 2023 NFL Draft, Andrews carries guard-center versatility but might be facing a make-or-break training camp. He was active for 16 games last season but saw just 70 offensive snaps.
Patriots Roster Moves Include Just 1 Surprise
The big surprise is Gibson, as he was a full participant during spring practices and there aren’t any recent reports about an injury. It’s easy to overlook NFI listings at this stage of the summer, but you never know what’s going on behind the scenes.
For example, tackle Calvin Anderson began last year’s training camp on the non-football illness list. He eventually returned for Week 1 and played in the first two games but was inactive for three of the next four contests. We later learned he suffered from a life-threatening bout with malaria during the summer before a heart issue wiped out the rest of his season.
As for the other players, the only relative head-scratcher is Takitaki, who seemed confident he’d be healthy by now. There’s no reason to believe he won’t be ready soon, but it’s fair to wonder whether his injury will linger throughout the summer and potentially beyond.
Bourne might believe he’s nearing a return, but the Patriots will be extra cautious with a player rehabbing a major injury — as they should be. Still, Bourne is a training camp wild card whose practice participation/performance could trigger a domino effect in the receiver room.
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Strange landing on PUP isn’t remotely surprising. Some believe he could sit out the entire season, which would be an unfortunate outcome for a player who was playing his best football before suffering his injury.
Finally, Andrews can’t afford to miss much practice time. The Patriots already have too many bodies on the interior offensive line and likely will need to make difficult cuts at the end of camp. They surely don’t want to release someone who was a fourth-round pick a year ago, but if Andrews is in and out of practice, they might not have another choice.