The latest on when Patriots guard Cole Strange could possibly return
It may be months, not weeks, until he sees game action.
Patriots guard Cole Strange may be sidelined until the middle of the season, according to NFL analyst Ian Rapoport.
Rapoport said Strange, New England’s first-round pick in 2022, is still dealing with a “significant knee injury” he suffered last year. He’s expected to miss the start of the season, and potentially more time.
The report expands upon what Patriots head coach Jerod Mayo told reporters Monday. Mayo called the situation “an interesting one,” adding that Strange is with the team every day, in the meeting room, and Mayo is happy with where he is.
“He is another guy, you would normally say day-by-day,” Mayo said. “He’s more of a, let’s say, week-by-week or you can go month-by-month if you want to. But he is working hard, you know, he is doing his rehab.”
Strange played all 17 games as a rookie in 2022 and 10 in 2023, starting every game he’s played over two years. He was on the field for 94 percent of offensive snaps in 2022 and 89 percent in those 10 games in 2023.
He suffered the knee injury during a Week 15 loss to the Chiefs and missed the last three games of the regular season.
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