The New England Patriots can use all the help they can get on offense, and it seems as though that is exactly what they will get.
New England has been without Jakobi Meyers in its last two games. The pass catcher has been dealing with a knee injury that has kept him on the sidelines.
But according to Andrew Callahan of the Boston Herald, Meyers will return when the Patriots play the Detroit Lions in Week 5.
“WR Jakobi Meyers is expected to play tomorrow against the Lions, per league source,” Callahan tweeted. “Meyers has missed two straight games with a knee injury.”
The wide receiver was limited at all three practices this week. He was also limited in all three practices the week prior.
Meyers got off to a good start this season. After a five-catch, 55-yard performance in Week 1, he had nine receptions for 95 yards in Week 2 per Pro Football Reference.
With Bailey Zappe poised to get his first NFL start, Meyers can serve as a security blanket for the rookie. The wide receiver was among Mac Jones’ favorite targets and that will likely end up being the case with Zappe as well.
Who Else Will Return From Injury?
Meyers won’t be the only wideout to return from injury when the Patriots take the field against the Lions in Week 5. Tyquan Thornton was activated off of injured reserve.
The rookie wide receiver was impressing fans prior to his neck injury. The second-round pick ran a 4.28 40-yard dash at the NFL Scouting Combine and is six weeks out from surgery to replace his fractured clavicle.
Thronton was praised this past week by Patriots coach Ross Douglas who commended the rookie on his effort to rehab from the neck injury.
“One thing about Tyquan – ever since he got hurt against Carolina and he had the collarbone injury, he’s been locked in. He’s been dedicated to his rehab process,” Douglas noted. “Even though he hasn’t been able to do a lot of things physically, he’s been on top of the mental part of the game. Meeting with us early in the morning and just staying on top of his assignments.”
NFL and NFLPA Reach Concussion Agreement
After the NFL Players Association expressed that they hoped for newly voted upon concussion protocols to be enacted immediately, ESPN’s Chris Mortensen was the first to report that the protocols would be in effect during Week 5.
“NFL & NFLPA have reached agreement on amended concussion protocols in effect starting Sunday, per sources,” Mortensen tweeted. “Both sides focused on medical condition known as Ataxia – any abnormality of balance/stability, coordination or speech, considered only neurological event, sources said”
The news comes on the heels of Roger Goodell talking about the importance of concussion protocols to a crowd of fans in London England.
“We understand some of that chatter, but the reality is the protocols are really important,” he said. “We follow that strictly. We see no indication that that didn’t happen in this case. There’s an ongoing investigation. We’re really focused on doing that. But we’re also prepared to make a change or two in the protocols because we think we can actually add another element that would make it even safer.”
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Key Patriots WR Slated to Return in Week 5: Report