New England Patriots offensive tackle Will Campbell is believed to have suffered a knee sprain. He will have an MRI on Monday to confirm. This will likely cause him to miss some time, according to NFL insider Ian Rapoport.
The injury occurred during the second quarter when a player fell onto Campbell’s right leg. He was evaluated by the medical staff on the field and was on the sideline riding a stationary bike and testing his leg. With that being said, he was unable to return to the game following the injury. The second-year lineman returned to the locker room.
Injury Concerning For Patriots Moving Forward
This injury is concerning for a multitude of reasons. For one, this injury happened on the same the where Campbell suffered a grade 3 MCL sprain last season. The injury happened in Week 12 against the Cincinnati Bengals and sidelined him for the remainder of the regular season. The LSU product was able to return during the playoffs, but struggled to find his footing against premier defensive lines.
The Patriots offensive line has already suffered a multitude of injuries this season. Starting guard Mike Onwenu and backup Greg Van Roten are already on injured reserve. An injury to Campbell is certainly not ideal, as it takes away any sort of consistency on the line.
Patriots Find Relief With Campbell’s Replacement
The Patriots were able to find a bit of relief with rookie Caleb Lomu. Lomu came in for Campbell once the latter left the game and performed well. The 2026 first-round draft pick recorded 29 pass-blocking snaps and allowed zero sacks, zero quarterback hits, and just one pressure. In terms of his Pro Football Focus metrics, they graded well. He had a 98.0 pass-block efficiency rating for the game.
The rookie could play a bigger role for the team moving forward. Lomu could find his way into the starting lineup with Campbell expected to miss time. The lineman was a highly coveted draft pick, having been selected in the first round. He will now get the task of protecting quarterback Drake Maye, as the Patriots continue forward with a difficult schedule.
Much was made about his talent coming out of the draft and rightfully so. He was a productive and consistent tackle at Utah. However, Patriots fans saw that production and consistency in action. He got right to work as soon as he entered the game. Maye was pressured on only 39.5% of dropbacks despite Lomu’s sudden arrival in the game.
Will Campbell Injury Tough For Patriots
This is certainly going to be a difficult blow for the Patriots’ offensive line that has already struggled with injuries and inconsistency. However, this could be a chance for Lomu to really make his mark and prove why he was worth a first-round pick. He will have ample opportunity to play due to this injury, and this could be helpful for the Patriots in terms of building depth.
It will certainly be interesting to see how this situation shakes out over the course of the next couple of weeks. Patriots fans will undoubtedly be watching this closely.
Patriots Hit With Concerning Injury News on Key Starter: Report