New England Patriots linebacker Cameron McGrone did not play a single game in his rookie season last year. However, he is giving the Patriots a reason for optimism as he heads into his second year.
McGrone came into the NFL with a torn ACL he suffered at Michigan. His 2021 season seemed like a medical redshirt year, as he worked on getting healthy and learning the playbook during that timeframe.
Despite limited on-field work, he was able to impress outside linebackers coach Steve Belichick. He was able to make a lasting impression on the coach in the few weeks before he was put on the PUP list, as transcribed by Zach Cox of NESN.com.
“It was exciting to have him on the field last year for those couple weeks before he reverted to IR or PUP,” Belichick said Tuesday in a video conference. “When he was practicing, it was really exciting to see him out there. One thing that I noticed is that all the other guys on the field had been playing football for months, and then he had been coming off of a year or whatever of not playing football, and he really didn’t look in any sort of way out of place on the field, which I thought was impressive.”
As the Patriots undergo a bit of change at the linebacker position, McGrone could be a key piece as he works to get back healthy and in a position to contribute. There is little doubt he has skill, as he was once an All-Big Ten honoree. Health and opportunity will be paramount as he looks for a productive sophomore campaign.
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