Patriots Starting Lineman Surprisingly Misses Practice

Marcus Cannon

Getty The Patriots are thin at offensive line after injuries to three of its starters.

The New England Patriots held their final practice of the week leading up to their matchup with the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday and got some mixed news on the injury front.

Wide receiver Mohamed Sanu participated in his first practice of the week after missing the last two days with an ankle injury. Though he is doubtful for Sunday, it’s encouraging to see him give it a go and feeling good enough to practice.

However, New England was without starting right tackle Marcus Cannon at practice on Friday due to illness. He was a full participant on Wednesday and Thursday with no noticeable injury occurring at any point during those sessions.

The news comes as second-year left tackle Isaiah Wynn gets set to make his return off injured reserve after missing 10 games suffering from turf toe. Though Wynn’s status for Sunday is uncertain, it definitely appears as if he is going to make a return to the field now with the likelihood of Cannon possibly missing Sunday’s game.

Patriots offensive line coach Dante Scarnecchia provided an update on Cannon after practice, saying he expects him to play on Sunday. It’s good news for the Patriots on the injury front.

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Marcus Cannon Has Struggled This Season

Cannon, playing in his ninth season with the Patriots, has taken a bit of dip in his blocking production during the 2019 season.

Though he hasn’t been flagged for holding and only allowed 1.5 sacks, he has given up a team-high 16 pressures along with seven QB hits.

His run-blocking has seen mixed results as well. The Patriots have 28 first downs to only nine negative runs to the right side. But New England also has only 10 rushing plays of 10-plus yards and a rush power index of 55 percent — 20th in the NFL.

Cannon has been a steady presence at right tackle for New England over the past several years and has become a leader on the field as well. The Patriots have a couple of young offensive linemen in the pipeline with Yodny Cajuste and Hjalte Froholdt set to miss their rookie seasons recovering from injuries.


Can the Patriots Running Game Pick up Slack?

The Patriots have struggled to move the ball on the ground this season and have one of the lowest yards per carry totals in the NFL this season. Part of that is due to the injuries on the offensive line. Four of the five Patriots offensive linemen have missed at least one game this season with an injury, with left guard Joe Thuney the lone exception.

While New England has patched things together, the past few weeks have seen a decline in protection and the ability to break off long runs. With the Patriots offensive line likely to be intact on Sunday for the first time since Week 1, New England may be able to finally get some production out of the backfield.

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