OCTOBER 13: Campbell is indeed dealing with a sprained right MCL, Cameron Wolfe of NFL Network reports. The belief is that it isn’t as serious as the sprain that shelved Campbell last year, though he is still expected to miss time, according to Wolfe.
OCTOBER 11: When the Patriots drafted Utah’s Caleb Lomu near the end of the first round this year, it seemed clear that the plan was for him to eventually take over for 35-year-old veteran right tackle Morgan Moses. Well, it appears the Utes former left tackle will be asked to cover his old position for a portion of his rookie season.
New England’s starting left tackle Will Campbell left today’s win over the Raiders with a knee injury, and Ian Rapoport reports that Campbell “is believed to have suffered a knee sprain.” An MRI scan tomorrow will determine the extent of the damage, but if the diagnosis holds true, Campbell is expected “to miss some time” as a result.
As a rookie fourth overall pick out of LSU last year, Campbell started the first 12 games of the season before getting carted off the field with a Grade 3 MCL sprain. He was placed on injured reserve but was able to return to play by the end of the required four-game minimum absence. He returned and played in most of the team’s final contest of the regular season, in preparation for the postseason.
Campbell was widely panned for his playoff performance. Pro Football Focus (subscription required) gave him three of the four worst grades of his rookie season in the Divisional, Conference, and Super Bowl games. Quarterback Drake Maye was sacked five times in every postseason game leading up to the Super Bowl and six times in the big game itself. It was later revealed that Campbell had played through a torn knee ligament throughout the team’s Super Bowl run.
As if with the intention to prove his postseason struggles were an injury-sourced fluke, Campbell has been playing well to start his sophomore campaign. Coming into the week, PFF graded Campbell as the 14th-best tackle in the league, but now, he’ll continue his struggle with knee issues.
The rookie, Lomu, took over for his second-year teammate following today’s injury, and he’s been tabbed to sub in on the blind side until Campbell can return. The Patriots hadn’t looked like the championship runner ups they are through the first few weeks of the season, but back-to-back wins have turned things in the right direction. Their plans looking ahead to the future of their offensive line have made them well prepared to fill Campbell’s spot, and New England will now get an early look at how ready its rookie tackle is for a starting job as they work to show they’re still contenders in the NFL.
