Michael Onwenu one of three Patriots players placed on PUP list ahead of training camp
While the Patriots will be down a key player to start camp, it looks like they might see a few notable players put in normal work Wednesday.
The Patriots will be down a few notable players when training camp opens Wednesday.
Michael Onwenu, Cody Davis, and Justus Tavai were all placed on the physically unable to perform (PUP) list by the Patriots, it was announced Friday.
Onwenu is the most prominent player on the list. The right guard was one of New England’s top players last season, playing and starting in all 17 games in 2022. Onwenu also led the offense in most snaps played (1,046) and was on track to play every snap last season before suffering an ankle injury during the Patriots’ season-finale loss to the Bills.
The ankle injury caused Owenu to undergo surgery during the offseason, forcing him to miss the Patriots’ organized team activities (OTAs) and minicamp in May and June.
The 2020 sixth-round pick is entering the final season of his rookie deal and could earn himself a nice payday if the Patriots don’t extend him prior to next offseason. He was widely considered as one of the best guards in football last season, allowing just one sack and 14 pressures, per Pro Football Focus. Onwenu recently earned honorable mention status on ESPN’s top interior offensive lineman list, which was a poll voted on by 80 people in the league.
As for Davis, the 34-year-old is rehabbing from a torn ACL he suffered last October. Playing as one of the Patriots’ core special teamers since he joined the team in 2020, Davis re-upped with New England over the offseason on a one-year deal.
Tavai, who is the younger brother of Patriots linebacker Jahlani Tavai, joined the team over the offseason as an undrafted free agent. It’s unknown what injury the defensive tackle from San Diego State is dealing with at the moment.
Just as notable as the players that are on the PUP list are the players that aren’t on it. Wide receivers JuJu Smith-Schuster and Tyquan Thornton weren’t placed on the PUP list after missing time during OTAs and minicamp. Smith-Schuster, whom the Patriots signed over the offseason, was reportedly dealing with a knee injury, while Thornton reportedly suffered a soft tissue injury during OTAs that forced him to miss all of minicamp.
Third-round rookie Marte Mapu wasn’t placed on the PUP list, either. The safety/linebacker hybrid was wearing a red non-contact jersey during the Patriots’ practices in the spring. He was recovering from a torn pectoral muscle that he suffered while bench pressing in February as he prepared for the draft.
Sixth-round wide receiver Kayshon Boutte wasn’t on the PUP list, either. He missed time during spring practices for undisclosed reasons.
Following Wednesday’s opening practice, the Patriots will have training camp sessions on Thursday, Friday, and Sunday of next week.
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