The New England Patriots received positive news in the injury department.
Starting left tackle Will Campbell avoided a major injury in his right knee on Sunday. According to The Ringer’s Tom Pelissero, Campbell is now considered week-to-week.
Campbell left the game against the Raiders in the second quarter after running back Rhamondre Stevenson was tackled into his right leg. The tackle departed for the locker room but returned to the sideline to go through pass sets and ride the stationary bike. After
joining the team in the locker room for halftime, Campbell did not return to the sidelines and was ruled out.
“We’ll see how the week goes. He’ll get looked at and continue to rehab,” head coach Mike Vrabel said Monday. “He wasn’t able to finish the game, so I don’t know how much time he’ll miss. I don’t know if he’ll be back towards the end of the week or be back Wednesday. We’ll take it day by day, see how he feels tomorrow, see what he does Wednesday and keep you updated on the injury report.”
In Campbell’s place, rookie first-round pick Caleb Lomu played a season-high 49 offensive snaps. At his natural left tackle position, Lomu held up well allowing just one hurry.
“I don’t think it was too big for him. I think he was able to settle down. You didn’t really notice him a lot, so I think that’s probably a good thing,” Vrabel said of Lomu’s performance. “He was able to anchor at times on some power and allowed Drake [Maye] to be able transfer up into the pocket. I thought it worked together well with AVT [Alijah Vera-Tucker] when he got in there.”
Lomu should be expected to start at left tackle moving forward, while the Patriots also have fellow rookie Dametrious Crownover on the active roster. Offensive tackle Marcus Bryant is also eligible to return from injured reserve.
The Patriots will host the New York Jets at Gillette Stadium this Sunday for a 1 p.m. ET kickoff.
