Sheard injury thins out edge group
FOXBORO — The Patriots’ best pass rusher is dealing with a balky knee. Defensive end Jabaal
Sheard has been dealing with a sprained MCL for two weeks, according to a source. He suffered the injury Aug. 11 against the Saints and missed six practices and the preseason victory against the Bears before returning to yesterday’s workout on a limited basis.
It’s not viewed as an overly serious injury. Sheard was given a recovery timetable of about 2-4 weeks, so he should be ready for the Sept. 11 regular season opener against the Cardinals. At worst, some MCL sprains heal in 4-6 weeks.
Sheard was present for the walkthrough yesterday and participated in the jogging and stretching period. He then left for the lower field to work on his conditioning with Malcolm Mitchell (dislocated left elbow), Rob Ninkovich (torn triceps muscle), Shea
McClellin (undisclosed injury against Saints), Danny
Amendola (knee and ankle surgeries) and Tre’ Jackson (knee surgery).
Sheard was third in the defensive end rotation last season, but is expected to be the team’s best pass rusher in 2016 due to the offseason trade of Chandler Jones. The Pats have thinned out on the edge due to injuries this month to Ninkovich and McClellin.
Chris Long and Trey Flowers have started in their absence, and Geneo Grissom and Rufus Johnson are also battling to make the team.
Quarterback Tom Brady (excused absence) and safety Patrick Chung (unknown) also returned to practice yesterday after missing Monday’s workout. Running back Dion Lewis (knee surgery), guards Jonathan Cooper (foot) and Shaq Mason (broken right hand), tackle Sebastian Vollmer (hip surgery), tight end Rob Gronkowski (bruise) and defensive tackle Alan Branch (team suspension) were not present.
Back in the mix
Undrafted rookie running back D.J. Foster has been more involved in practice over the past couple days after a lingering hamstring injury sidelined him for the better part of three weeks.
The question is whether Foster has enough time to make up ground. LeGarrette Blount, James White and Brandon Bolden look to be safe on the running back depth chart. The Pats coached Foster hard during organized team activities and minicamp, a sign of how highly they viewed his talent. But potential is an empty word without any performance to back it.
“There have been some tough times, but my teammates and coaches have done a great job with keeping me in the mix,” Foster said. “I’m just trying to learn as much as I can, be in the classroom, be in the playbook and take as much mental reps as I can.”
If the Patriots keep four running backs, Foster is competing with Tyler Gaffney and Joey Iosefa for that last job. And who knows which players could become available during next week’s stretch of roster cuts?
Foster just needs to show his elite speed and footwork in an actual preseason game, so Friday’s meeting with the Panthers will be crucial if he can make his debut. “That’s up to coach ( Bill)
Belichick, up to the coaching staff,” Foster said. “You’ve got to ask them. But I’m going to be as prepared as I can.”
If Foster doesn’t look ready to contribute as a rookie, the Pats might decide to give him a redshirt year by placing him on injured reserve. But as quickly as the next week and a half will fly by, there’s a lot of time before they have to make that type of decision.
“I feel good,” Foster said. “I keep going and doing what I can every day and to continuously improve.”
Brown and out
The Patriots released running back Donald Brown with an injury settlement.
Brown hadn’t practiced in three weeks due to the undisclosed ailment that sabotaged his fast start to camp. Brown was working with the starters through the opening weekend and looked like he could be a contributor on the ground and through the air.
But Brown couldn’t get healthy, and the injury settlement suggests it wasn’t going to get much better anytime soon. The release signifies a major swing and miss for the Pats, who gave Brown $300,000 in guaranteed money this offseason.
“It’s unfortunate,” Belichick said. “He worked hard. He’s a really good kid. We just never really got the chance to see him.”
The Patriots also cut cornerback E.J. Biggers and defensive tackle Frank Kearse. Both veterans were long shots to make the roster and never worked with the starters for any extended time during training camp.
The Patriots now have 83 players on the active roster. They have to get down to 75 by Tuesday.