The New England Patriots saw another starter go down during Sunday’s win over the Las Vegas Raiders. Will Campbell, the team’s left tackle, suffered a reported knee sprain when he was rolled up on in the early second quarter.
Even though he briefly returned to the sideline after initially departing for the locker room, the second-year man was unable to reenter the contest. In his place, Caleb Lomu finished the game as New England’s left tackle — a role he will likely continue playing for however long
Campbell is out.
For Lomu, it was simply a case of taking his preparation to the game field and head coach Mike Vrabel’s messaging to heart.
“Injuries are a part of football, which sucks,” he said after the game. “Praying for everyone who has an injury, especially Will. But whatever happens, ‘You’ve got to prepare like a starter,’ is what Coach Vrabes tells us. It’s completely true. Anything can happen. So, prepare as a starter throughout the week, even if you’re not going to start, because things like this can happen.”
Lomu was the Patriots’ first-round draft pick earlier this year, but he entered the season as the team’s No. 3 offensive tackle behind Campbell and right-side starter Morgan Moses. As a result, his opportunities before Week 5 were limited to jumbo tight end work and mop-up duty.
Versus the Raiders, however, Lomu played a career-high 49 offensive snaps. Of those, 47 came in place of Campbell at left tackle. For the 21-year-old it was a return to familiar spheres: while primarily trained as a right tackle since arriving in New England, he spent his college career at Utah on the left side.
Regardless of assignment, Lomu felt ready to be thrown into the fire.
“I was just ready to go,” he said. “Just like I said, prepare like a starter no matter what happens. As soon as it happened, I was ready to go do what I could to help the team win, and that’s what we did.”
For Morgan Moses, that confidence is what defines Lomu even at this early stage in his career.
“He’s confident,” the team captain said. “That’s the most important thing. You never know when your number’s going to be called, and obviously he’s been able to get some snaps at the big tight end spots. So, he’s been able to get used to the speed from preseason into the regular season. That’s always good. But he works hard. He’s a young rookie that asks a lot of questions in meetings. And he asks like, ‘Hey, how do you see things?’
“When you build that camaraderie off the field to be able to ask questions in meetings with me and Will, it just boosts the morale for everybody. He came in, and obviously, we’ve got to look at the film. There are some things that we all got to correct, but I think he did a hell of a job.”
With Campbell’s outlook unclear, Lomu might be in line for his first career start at either of the two tackle spots this week. The Patriots will host the New York Jets in Week 6, a team that registered eight sacks in a win over the Cleveland Browns on Sunday.
