Tag: Riley Reiff

Patriots coach Bill Belichick discusses offensive line injury woes

Bill Belichick commented on the offensive line struggles for the Patriots this season

The New England Patriots have had problems at the offensive line position, as injuries and inconsistent play have marred the unit throughout the year.

Patriots coach Bill Belichick offered his thoughts on how things have unfolded along the offensive front, when speaking with media members.

“That’s not the way we thought it would happen when we acquired some of the guys at the beginning of the year…but it is what it is,” said Belichick, via Patriots.com’s Evan Lazar.

The offensive line has been decimated by injuries. Calvin Anderson and Riley Reiff were free agent pickups, while Connor McDermott was re-signed this year as a free agent.

Injuries have made it difficult for the Patriots to build any form of consistency. At one point in the season, the Patriots’ entire offensive line was dealing with injuries.

This was simply a case of the Patriots rolling the dice and things not working out. It was something the usually-prepared Belichick could not foresee.

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After playing in only one game, Patriots OL Riley Reiff done for season

Riley Reiff’s season officially comes to an end for the Patriots.

The season is officially over for New England Patriots veteran offensive tackle Riley Reiff.

Wednesday was the deadline for Reiff to be activated from injured reserve, but coach Bill Belichick informed the media that the team wasn’t going to activate the offensive lineman.

Reiff, who only appeared in one game for the team, couldn’t overcome injuries to get onto the field. He was expected to have a significant role in the Patriots’ offensive plans in 2023, when the team signed him for a one-year deal with $4.5 million guaranteed.

It ended up being a great deal for the 35-year-old Reiff, but not so much for the Patriots, who have struggled throughout the season in pass protection up front. Guard Mike Onwenu has kicked outside to right tackle, while a banged-up Trent Brown is rotating at left with Conor McDermott.

The Patriots essentially rolled the dice on an aging lineman in Reiff and got burned in the end.

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Veteran Patriots OL made long-awaited return on Wednesday

The Patriots got an offensive line boost on Wednesday with Riley Reiff returning to practice.

There were several notable names back at New England Patriots practice on Wednesday, including offensive tackle Riley Reiff. Reiff’s return could mean that he is returning off injured reserve, as reported by Patriots.com’s Evan Lazar.

Reiff was first placed on injured reserve on September 4, and he was activated on October 7, before going back on IR on October 21 with a knee injury.

This is a notable development for New England, given their struggles on the offensive line. Reiff has appeared in one game this season. He was thought to be a solid addition to the offensive line, when New England signed him in free agency. However, health has been a major issue for the lineman.

This is a needed development for the Patriots, who need as many bodies as possible on the line. Reiff’s return at the very least gives the organization veteran stability at the tackle position.

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Bill Belichick confirms Patriots OL Riley Reiff’s injury is new

The onslaught of injuries continues for Patriots veteran OL Riley Reiff

New England Patriots coach Bill Belichick gave an update on injured offensive lineman Riley Reiff.

Belichick told media members, via ESPN’s Mike Reiss, that Reiff’s knee injury that caused him to miss Sunday’s game is different than the one that saw him go on injured reserve at the end of the preseason.

This has been a difficult year for the offensive lineman. He was signed by New England on March 15 and was expected to add depth to the line. He has played in 45 snaps this season and has a grade of 60 overall, per Pro Football Focus.

New England has had struggles on the offensive line this season with PFF ranking them 28th in the NFL.

This is just more unfortunate news for a positional unit that has had issues. Constantly rotating offensive line personnel is undoubtedly a big reason for it.

The offense has struggled overall, and it’s hard to envision things getting significantly better with such a tough schedule ahead.

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Patriots’ top 10 offensive players in Week 5, per PFF grades

Here are the top-10 Patriots offensive players in Week 5, per PFF grades

Not even the hallowed halls of Gillette Stadium could breathe life into the New England Patriots offense in Sunday’s 34-0 loss to the New Orleans Saints.

The theme heading into Week 6 has been about change, but there might not be enough change possible to save the Patriots this season. They lack explosiveness at the skilled positions, and the offensive line gets beaten like a drum weekly in the trenches.

Fans are even desperately calling for rookie quarterback Malik Cunningham to be given the reins as the new starting signal-caller. By the end of the season, this might end up being the worst offensive team in the Bill Belichick coaching era.

The Patriots currently sit dead last in the NFL in scoring with an average of 11 points per game.

There’s a mountain to climb, but even with all of the offensive struggles, the Patriots won’t go down without a fight. They’ll go kicking and screaming if they have to.

Here’s the top-10 offensive players, per Pro Football Focus grades:

Patriots place Christian Gonzalez on IR, activate veteran OT vs Saints

The Patriots made a couple of major roster moves on Saturday

The New England Patriots announced they have officially placed rookie cornerback Christian Gonzalez on injured reserve on Saturday.

It was an inevitable move following the news that the 21-year-old defensive back suffered a torn labrum in the loss to the Dallas Cowboys in Week 4.

The Patriots could look to fill the void with former All-Pro corner J.C. Jackson, who was acquired in a trade with the Los Angeles Chargers on Wednesday. Veteran Jonathan Jones is also expected to return after missing the previous three games with an ankle injury.

With Gonzalez leaving the main roster, the Patriots used the open spot to activate 34-year-old offensive tackle Riley Reiff. The hope is for Reiff to settle things down at right tackle, which has been a trouble spot for New England in recent weeks.

At the very least, Reiff gives the Patriots depth at a position that was desperately needed. Things might not be great right now in New England, but they’ve made enough moves to keep the sky from falling.

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Patriots Week 5 injury report: 10 players listed as questionable vs Saints

10 Patriots players listed as questionable to play on Sunday

The injury report is long for the New England Patriots heading into what feels like a must-win game against the New Orleans Saints on Sunday.

Many of the same names throughout the week stuck around on the injury report with offensive tackle Trent Brown being the newest addition. The team listed the veteran blindside protector as questionable to suit up in Week 5 with a chest injury.

Not having Brown on the field could yield devastating results against a Saints team preparing to unleash a slew of pass-rushers on quarterback Mac Jones, including eight-time Pro Bowl defensive lineman Cam Jordan.

The Patriots listed a total of 10 players as questionable to play in the game, while ruling out cornerback Christian Gonzalez and Matthew Judon. Here’s the complete list of players on the injury report ahead of the team’s Week 5 meeting with the Saints.

5 Patriots players eligible to return from IR/PUP lists this week

Five players on IR/PUP lists are eligible to return for the Patriots this week

There isn’t much hope for the New England Patriots on the injury front these days.

They just lost two of their best defensive players, Christian Gonzalez and Matthew Judon, in the same football game. All of their starting cornerbacks are out with injuries, and right tackle is a revolving door of random bodies just trying to make it work.

The good news is the Patriots are past the four-game mark, which means multiple players on injured reserve and the physically unable to perform lists are eligible to return this week.

Any return would feel like a boost at this point with the Patriots sitting at 1-3 and looking up at a seemingly impossible hill to climb in the AFC East division.

Here are the five players eligible to return for the Patriots this week.

Patriots list 10 players as limited participants in first Week 5 injury report

10 players were limited for the Patriots at Wednesday’s practice

The New England Patriots had a longer injury report than normal at Wednesday’s practice, ahead of their Week 5 showdown with the New Orleans Saints on Sunday.

There were a total of 10 limited participants listed for the Patriots, while two other players did not participate at all. The latter was obviously rookie cornerback Christian Gonzalez and veteran linebacker Matthew Judon.

Both players went down with potentially season-ending injuries in the Week 4 loss to the Dallas Cowboys,

However, it wasn’t all bad news for the Patriots. Three players eligible to return from the PUP/IR list were on the field practicing for the first time this season. The Patriots have shifted to a next-man-up mentality after being devastated with injuries four weeks into the year.

Here’s the complete injury report for Wednesday:

3 injured Patriots returned for first regular season practice on Wednesday

Finally, there is some hopeful news on the injury front for the Patriots on Wednesday

Defensive end Trey Flowers, safety Cody Davis and offensive tackle Riley Reiff all made their return to practice for the New England Patriots on Wednesday.

Flowers was placed on the active\PUP list on August 8, and Reiff was placed on injured reserve September 4. Meanwhile, Davis started training camp on the PUP list after being placed there on July 21.

The addition of Reiff in particular could be notable, given that New England has struggled on the offensive line. Flowers will be able to add pass-rushing depth to the team, which could be important following the season-ending injury to Matthew Judon. Flowers has 31.5 sacks in his career, and he knows how to rush the passer well, especially in coach Bill Belichick’s defense.

These returns are big for depth purposes with the Patriots currently battered with injuries.

There’s no fixing the damage done from losing two defensive stars in cornerback Christian Gonzalez and linebacker Matthew Judon, but the Patriots would be in a good place if they can at least soften the blow.

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