BREAKING: Patriots Face Offensive Line Setbacks, but Silver Linings Loom for Key Injuries
All things considered, things could have gone much worse for the Patriots here in the days after the attrition that came during the team’s grinding 26-20 win over the Bengals in Week 12. The offensive line took back-to-back major blows, with rookie guard Jared Wilson going down with what appeared to be a serious ankle injury, followed by No. 4 overall pick Will Campbell going out with a knee injury.
Campbell was carted off with a towel over his face, and the look and feel of the injury had most thinking he’d torn his ACL and would not be seen on the field again until the 2026 season.
But it’s not all that bad, after all. Coach Mike Vrabel said on Wednesday that Campbell is, in fact, going to hit the IR. He did not get into Wilson’s situation, saying only that Wilson won’t be on the field for Week 13’s game against the Giants. “Neither of them will be out there this week. That’s the expectation. I can pretty much guarantee you that,” he said.
Patriots Put Will Campbell on IR
Here’s what Vrabel had to say about Campbell and the IR–as well as the moves the team made in the aftermath, on Wednesday at Patriots practice:
“We’ll put Will on IR here at 4 o’clock. We signed Miles Battle to the 53-man roster. We put Double-A – Alex Austin – on injured reserve. Signed Bill Murray to the practice squad. And obviously Thayer [Munford Jr.], he’s signed from Cleveland’s practice squad.
“So, just working through some moving parts here as we get to the middle part of our week with Monday night preparation, and everything that we’ll have to do to make sure that we’ve got 48 guys that all have a role and understand how they can help us win the game on Monday.”
Jared Wilson Not Using a Walking Boot
While he was not clear about what’s next for Wilson, there were Easter eggs all around that seem to forebode good news for the Patriots on the rookie guard.
Before the Campbell announcement, Diana Russini of The Athletic had written that things were trending up for Wilson: “New England Patriots rookie left tackle Will Campbell is expected to miss at least four weeks with a knee injury and will most likely land on injured reserve. But rookie left guard Jared Wilson (ankle) has received better news and could be back much sooner.”
Boston Herald beat reporter Andrew Callahan noted from the Patriots locker room that Wilson–and Milton Williams, currently on the IR with a high ankle sprain–is walking without boot help.
On Twitter/X, Callahan wrote, “Good news: Jared Wilson and Milton Williams both walking without the aid of a boot in the #Patriots locker room. Williams wore one last week and has a sleeve on his lower left leg today. Wilson had a boot after Sunday’s game and is in sneakers. Both have high ankle sprains.”
Patriots Sticking With Ben Brown for Jared Wilson, Vederian Lowe for Will Campbell
As for this week, it looks like Ben Brown, who filled in for Wilson in the Patriots win, will do the same on Monday against the Giants. And Vederian Lowe will be in place to fill in for Campbell, though Vrabel said that rookie Marcus Bryant could be in the mix there, too.
“I think the plan right now would be to go with Vederian coming out of that game, and Marcus will be ready to go. He has to be ready to go,” Vrabel said
Drew Brees Crowns Arch Manning the Saints' Future Star - With a Jab at Peyton & Eli
Texas Longhorns quarterback Arch Manning may still be as many as two years away from heading to the NFL, but already he’s being talked about as the next big thing in the National Football League. In that respect, Arch is no different than his uncles, Peyton and Eli Manning, a duo of brothers who went 1st overall respectively in the 1998 and 2004 drafts. But according to New Orleans Saints legend Drew Brees, that’s where the similarities may end.
During an appearance on the Rich Eisen Show, Brees was talking all things football, including heading to the Texas Longhorns at Ohio State Buckeyes game on August 30. While discussing Arch Manning, who many in the state of Louisiana are hoping will follow in his grandfather’s footsteps and end up playing for the Saints, Brees threw some friendly shade at his retired peers.
“You could see right away, phenomenal athlete. Obviously got Big Archie’s athleticism,” Brees said with a laugh. “He was basically the Taysom Hill of the Texas Longhorns last year. They put him in to pound the rock, right? Run all these QB designed runs and I’m sitting there going ‘this is one of the better passers in all of college football fulfilling this role for Texas.’ No offense to Peyton and Eli, but you didn’t see Peyton and Eli doing that.”
Peyton Manning finished his Hall of Fame NFL career with 667 yards and 18 touchdowns on 431 carries. Younger brother Eli Manning rushed for 567 yards and 7 touchdowns on 315 carries. Aside from a QB sneak or an occasional naked bootleg, most of those runs were not designed plays like Arch is accustomed to running in Austin.
The question now is, will Arch Manning be running plays like these in New Orleans next fall?
How Realistic is Arch Manning to the New Orleans Saints?
While ‘Big Archie’ may be busy pushing back his grandson’s NFL debut to 2027, it’s possible that Arch — entering his junior season at Texas this year — could decide to come out for the
For a moment, let’s assume that this season goes just as well as everyone seems to expect it will for the Texas Longhorns. Let’s assume that Arch wins the Heisman Trophy and captures the National Title… a pair of distinctions that eluded his uncles. At that point, what else does Arch Manning have to prove? Isn’t it possible, if not likely, that he’d be ready to ride into the NFL after reaching the college mountaintop?
