Things are going to look different in New England next season, but at least the Patriots will have team captain and four-year starter David Andrews back at center.
After missing 2019 with blood clots in his lungs, Andrews, a former Georgia Bulldog, announced on Instagram that he has been cleared to play in 2020.
“I know 2020 has affected everyone in ways we couldn’t have imagined prior,” Andrews said. “But with the draft over the next few days a lot of dreams are gonna be realized for a lot of players entering the league. During this time there has been a lot of time for reflection on the past, present and future. As to the future I’m excited that I’ll have the opportunity to play the game I love again. When and whatever the nfl season looks like I’m just thankful that I’ll be able to get back to competing with my teammates and coaches. Go pats.”
The Patriots running game was hurt by Andrews’ absence last season. Sony Michel, another former Dawg, saw his average yards per carry drop nearly a full yard from 4.5 to 3.7 without Andrews creating holes for him to run through in 2019.
Andrews used the first day of the NFL Draft to announce that he’d been cleared. If you remember, Andrews was one of the great stories of the 2015 NFL season. After going undrafted, the Patriots quickly picked up the Johns Creek, Georgia native.
Before we knew it, Andrews was hiking the ball to the greatest quarterback in NFL history and became a two time Super Bowl champion.
He had started 57 regular-season games and nine playoff games before missing the 2019 season.
Patriots center David Andrews passes along a positive report on his health on Instagram … and QB Jarrett Stidham likes the sound of it. pic.twitter.com/IFrV8jwXoj
— Mike Reiss (@MikeReiss) April 24, 2020