Now, through seven games, the New England Patriots can’t get away from a major concern. The team is dealing with a ton of injuries.
Those injuries are hitting just about every position on both sides of the ball. However, it’s particularly hard to ignore how many injuries are hitting the Patriots offensive line, in particular. As it stands now, four offensive linemen, Mike Onwenu, Greg Van Roten, Marcus Bryant, and Alijah Vera-Tucker, are on IR. Ben Brown is also injured, though not on IR.
It’s hard to keep having offensive success with those kinds of injuries. Still, the Patriots have been doing just that recently, even if questions about sustainability are going to persist.
New England Patriots HC Mike Vrabel on Ben Brown, Greg Van Roten
On Monday, Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel opened up about a couple of the offensive line injuries that the Patriots are currently dealing with. That started with Greg Van Roten, who won’t practice on Monday but still could at some point this week.
“Probably won’t see him today, but maybe this week,” Mike Vrabel said. “We’ll see how that goes.”
Van Roten is a veteran who has been in the NFL or CFL since 2012. However, 2026 is the guard’s first season with the Patriots. He signed late, on August 18th, as injuries were already adding up at that point. He suffered a thigh injury in Week 3.
Vrabel also had some positive news on Ben Brown. The interior offensive lineman is progressing well and could potentially play this week.
“Ben might be out there,” Vrabel said.
Primarily a center, Brown has been with the Patriots since 2024. In December of 2025, he signed a two-year contract extension with New England. He’s been out for the last two weeks with a knee injury.
“It’s great to be back out there. Thankfully, it was not as bad as thought,” Brown said. “It’s nice to be able to get back on the grass and contribute however I can.”
Other Patriots Offensive Line Injuries
Mike Vrabel was also able to share a pretty major update on Patriots offensive lineman Alijah Vera-Tucker. He’s going to be out for a while on IR, but it’s not necessarily a season-ending injury at this point.
“I don’t think it’s for the season, but I couldn’t tell you what short-term is determined by,” Vrabel said.
Outside of that, Mike Onwenu has been out since Week 2. He had to be carted off the field and it was a season-ending injury. Then, Marcus Bryant suffered an ankle injury back in the preseason. Luckily, he’s back at practice now, signaling a potential return in the near future.
The Patriots also avoided major injuries to both starting tackles this season. Will Campbell was rolled up on in the Las Vegas Raiders game, seemingly suffering a similar injury to the one he had last season. However, he was back a week later and playing well. Meanwhile, Morgan Moses suffered a right ankle/foot injury against the New York Jets but was able to play on Thursday after a short week.
Patriots Injury Update: Mike Vrabel Shares Latest on Multiple Offensive Linemen