Patriots Inactives: Two Top Offensive Starters Active

julian edelman

Getty Julian Edelman.

This season, there’s been more negatives than positives about the inconsistent New England Patriots offense. But the one player who has been a consistent presence en route to career-best numbers is Julian Edelman.

On Sunday against the Cincinnati Bengals, there was a chance the Patriots could be without their top pass catcher. Edelman has been nursing nagging injuries all season long, currently dealing with a shoulder injury and a knee injury suffered last week against the Kansas City Chiefs.

Edelman’s shoulder injury reportedly has prevented him from extending his arms above his head while his knee injury required nearly round-the-clock treatment, according to a report by Mike Giardi on NFL Network.

The receiver arrived at the stadium early and was seen going through his pre-game warmup routine and will be good to go against the Bengals.

As for how much of a factor he is, that is a different story. Edelman was injured for the Patriots Week 4 game in Buffalo and still managed to play in 95 percent of the team’s offensive snaps. However, he only caught four passes for 30 yards and was clearly limited.

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Who Starts at Center?

The Patriots had perfect attendance at practice on Friday, something that has become a rarity throughout the 2019 season. Ted Karras and Byron Cowart, both of whom missed last week’s game with an injury, were present all week at practice albeit in a limited capacity.

Ted Karras returns to the lineup on Sunday after suffering a sprained MCL in the first half of New England’s loss to Houston two weeks ago. He was out all of last week but returned to practice this week in a limited capacity.

With Karras is good to go, it strengthens the Patriots offensive line for Tom Brady and the running game. Last week, New England was forced to turn to third-string James Ferentz.

Ferentz suited up last weekend and played well in place of Karras. However, Ferentz allowed a sack, a QB hit, and two pressures against the Chiefs. Karras meanwhile has been the most reliable pass protector on the offensive line, allowing just one sack, four QB hits, and four pressures though he has been flagged thrice for holding.


Who Else is Out?

The biggest absence for the Patriots this week is Jason McCourty, who will miss his third game out of the last four as he continues to battle a groin injury.

New England also made Cowart inactive as he has been placed on that list several times before.

Cody Kessler, Damien Harris, Korey Cunningham, Jermaine Eluemunor and Ryan Izzo are the remaining five inactives for the Patriots matchup with the Bengals.

Ja’Whaun Bentley and Mohamed Sanu were both listed as questionable after being limited in Friday’s practice. They all played last week through the same injuries they’re dealing with this week and will factor in again. It will be Sanu’s first game in Cincinnati since 2015 when he left the Bengals for Atlanta.

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