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Report: Patriots cornerback Marcellas Dial has a torn ACL
An already battered cornerback group takes another hit.
Patriots cornerback Marcellas Dial is expected to miss an extended amount of time after tearing his ACL at practice Monday.
ESPN’s Mike Reiss reported the news of Dial’s injury.
The second-year cornerback appeared to be making some inroads towards an increased role this season, both on special teams and in the secondary where the Patriots have already been hit by injuries.
Now, the 2024 sixth-round pick likely faces a lengthy recovery. The 2025 regular-season is still a month away.
Dial, 24, played in all 17 games for New England last season as a rookie. He recorded 12 tackles and forced a fumble.
ESPN listed him as a three-star prospect. He began his college career at the JUCO level, enrolling at Georgia Military College. He played one season there before transferring to South Carolina, where he was able to compete in the SEC.
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The 6-foot, 190-pound defensive back recorded 114 tackles and three interceptions while making 29 starts over three seasons at South Carolina.
Dial was one of two players the Patriots selected in the sixth round last year. The other was quarterback Joe Milton, who was traded to the Cowboys in the offseason.
The Patriots were already without their top two corners on Tuesday. Christian Gonzalez has been hampered by a hamstring injury, and Carlton Davis has yet to suit up for a full-contact practice during this training camp after starting it on the non-football injury list.
With Gonzalez and Davis out, Dial appeared to be one of England’s top backup corner options. He primarily played in the slot behind Marcus Jones. Alex Austin has been getting plenty of reps since the injuries.
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Dial’s injury came two days before the Patriots are slated to hold a joint practice with the Washington Commanders. New England held a walkthrough practice on Tuesday, before ramping things up with Washington in town on Wednesday with the preseason opener set for Friday.
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