Much of the criticism of New England Patriots left tackle Will Campbell a season ago came after he battled back to return early from an MCL injury. After a good start to 2026, it looked like he’d turned a corner from that injury, until he went down with another MCL injury on Sunday.
That led to some immediate concern for Campbell. Reports indicated that while it wasn’t a severe MCL injury, he’d likely miss a little time. In particular, when paired with his injury history. For a banged-up Patriots offensive line, it was a big blow.
Luckily, the Patriots got some surprisingly positive injury news out of practice on Thursday. Campbell was able to go in full pads on Thursday, per Mark Daniels.
“Will Campbell was out here moving well in full pads. He was lining up with the starters during the periods we saw,” Daniels wrote.
The implication there is that Campbell is going to make his way back onto the field sooner than later. After all, if the Patriots felt they needed a new left tackle for Sunday’s game against the New York Jets, they’d presumably want that left tackle to get as many first-team reps as possible.
It’s not a promise Campbell will be in the lineup. There’s still a couple of days for anything to happen, but it is a very good sign.
The New England Patriots Were Fairly Positive About Will Campbell
One consistent trend throughout the week has been that the Patriots have been fairly upbeat about Will Campbell’s injury. In particular, as it relates to comparisons with last season’s knee injury that derailed him.
That went back to Monday. Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel actually pushed back on reports that Campbell was going to miss time. Instead, he left the door open for a much quicker return.
“I mean, we’ll see how the week goes,” Vrabel said. “He’ll get looked at and continue to rehab. He wasn’t able to finish the game, so I don’t know how much time he’ll miss. I don’t know if he’ll be back towards the end of the week or be back Wednesday. We’ll take it day by day, see how he feels tomorrow, see what he does Wednesday and keep you updated on the injury report.”
Patriots quarterback Drake Maye added to that, praising how tough Campbell has been.
“I like to claim I’m from the South, and Will’s from the South, so he’s tough,” Maye said on Wednesday. “I think you respect guys, especially the offensive line, for how much wear and tear they go through. I mean, I’m sure all five guys are going through something. Realizing that Will wanted to get back in there, so just props to him and a lot of our guys for how they face injuries this year. Guys are playing through stuff. That’s kind of the mentality: to be smart, but at the same time, want to be out there with your guys. That’s an example of what Will is. You go to battle with those guys.”
Doug Kyed of The Boston Herald previously reported that Campbell would “Just building up throughout the week. See what happens.” It seems like he’s still doing that, and seeing good results.
The Patriots Plan to Replace Campbell
When Will Campbell went down on Sunday, the Patriots turned to first-round pick Caleb Lomu. He had been selected to develop for a season and be the likely long-term replacement at right tackle. However, his three years starting at left tackle showed in the win.
PFF even ranked Lomu with a 98.0 pass block efficiency rating. That was on 29 reps without allowing a sack or QB hit.
It was a great flash of upside from Lomu. However, he hasn’t gotten a ton of first-team reps overall. If he’s going to need to play extensively in the coming weeks, you’d like to see him get those. That is, unless Campbell is trending in the right direction that quickly.
Patriots Get Positive Injury Update on Will Campbell During Practice for Jets