Patriots Injury Report: Brady's Top Four Receivers Are All Hurt
By Gregory Hunt
As the Patriots prepare to meet the Philadelphia Eagles Sunday afternoon at Gillette Stadium, the good news on the injury front is that the New England offensive line is healthier than it has been in many weeks. Tackle Nate Solder (bicep) and guard Ryan Wendell (knee) are both on injured reserve and done for the season, but tackle Marcus Cannon is the only offensive lineman on the active roster that is listed on this week's injury report, and his toe isn't keeping him from fully participating in practice this week.
On the down side, the top four passing targets this season for quarterback Tom Brady are all hurt. Running back Dion Lewis (36 receptions) is out for the season after tearing his ACL last month. Wide receiver Danny Amendola (49 receptions) is dealing with a knee injury that kept him out of last week's game against the Denver Broncos. Tight end Rob Gronkowski (57 receptions) also has a knee injury that is expected to keep him off the field for at least one game, maybe two. Wide receiver Julian Edelman (61 receptions) suffered a broken foot three weeks ago and will miss the rest of the regular season.
Amendola is a limited participant in practice this week, so he has an outside chance of playing against Philadelphia. No other New England player has more than 21 catches this season (Brandon LaFell). Tight end Michael Williams is also a limited participant due to a knee injury, so the only healthy tight end on New England's roster is Scott Chandler. Chandler has only 19 receptions this season, but three of them have been for touchdowns.
On defense, both cornerback Justin Coleman and defensive tackle Dominique Easley are missing practice this week. Coleman has missed the past two games with a hand injury, while the often-injured Easley will likely miss his second game of the season this weekend.
Linebacker Jamie Collins is trying to work his way back into the lineup after missing four games with an undisclosed illness. Collins has been back at practice on a limited basis for a little more than a week, but he did not play against Denver. Fellow linebacker Don'ta Hightower is doing a little better. He was knocked out of the Denver game with a knee injury, but he will likely be active against Philadelphia.
Starting safety Patrick Chung had been listed as questionable against the Broncos with a foot injury, but he still played in that game, so he will likely start against Eagles. Defensive tackle Alan Branch (elbow) and defensive end Chandler Jones (abdomen) are both full participants in practice this week, so both of them should also start against Philadelphia.
Full participation in practice:
Alan Branch, defensive tackle (elbow)
Marcus Cannon, tackle (toe)
Chandler Jones, defensive end (abdomen)
Limited participation in practice:
Danny Amendola, wide receiver (knee)
Patrick Chung, safety (foot)
Jamie Collins, linebacker (illness)
Dont'a Hightower, linebacker (knee)
Michael Williams, tight end (knee)
Did not participate in practice:
Justin Coleman, cornerback (hand)
Dominique Easley, defensive tackle (ankle)
Julian Edelman, wide receiver (foot)
Rob Gronkowski, tight end (knee)
Gregory Hunt is a Boston native and a life-long fan of the Patriots, Red Sox, Bruins and Celtics. He's also particularly fond of lacrosse, IndyCar racing and women's college basketball. He currently works for Examiner.com where he serves as the Senior Manager of Content and Media Access. He also writes for Examiner.com as the New England Patriots Examiner. His work can be found on Examiner.com.