Cole Strange is ready and fired up if Patriots need him at center
FOXBORO -- Cole Strange may make his return for the New England Patriots on Saturday, and he'd do so in a new position. With starting center Ben Brown already ruled out for Saturday's game against the Los Angeles Chargers at Gillette Stadium, Strange will likely be the man snapping the football to Drake Maye in Week 17.
While Strange hasn't played in over a year and has never played center at the NFL level, he's ready and eager to go if the Patriots call his number on Saturday.
"I'm fired up for the opportunity, honestly," Strange told reporters in Foxboro on Thursday. "I feel like I've been working for this for a year now. And I'm just excited for the opportunity, really."
Brown was originally listed as questionable for Saturday's tilt with a concussion, but he was officially ruled out by New England on Friday. Strange hasn't played since he suffered a severe knee injury late last season, and was just activated a little over a week ago. He was active against the Bills last weekend but didn't play a snap.
Now he's set to play in his first game since Dec. 17, 2023, and is looking at his first-ever start at center. While he did play some center in college, Strange was exclusively at guard over his first two seasons with the Patriots. Though playing center in the NFL has a lot of responsibilities -- from snapping the ball to making calls at the line to communicating with fellow linemen -- Strange is confident that he can handle the move.
"The position I'm in, it's really no different than the position that a lot of guys across the league are in, coming back from injury," said Strange. "Maybe they've had a week or so of practice, I've had multiple weeks.
"I'm in a new position, so I'm still sort of figuring it out, but I've had plenty of time," he added. "I feel very prepared. ... and I feel good physically, the knees feel healthy."
Patriots head coach Jerod Mayo also mentioned Lecitus Smith as a possibility at center, so he'd likely back up Strange if Brown is inactive.
Patriots Week 17 Injury Report
On Thursday, cornerback Marcus Jones was ruled out for a second straight week due to a hip injury. The team put him on injured reserve on Friday, while tackle Caedan Wallace was activated to the 53-man roster.
Without Marcus Jones, the Patriots will rely on veteran corner Jonathan Jones to defend the slot on Saturday and likely matchup with Chargers rookie Ladd McConkey.
The Patriots also listed the following 10 players as questionable:
C Ben Brown (concussion)
S Kyle Dugger (ankle/quad)
LB Curtis Jacobs (concussion)
LB Titos Leo (ankle)
LB Anfernee Jennings (knee)
S Jabrill Peppers (hamstring)
OL Cole Strange (knee)
LB Sione Takitaki (knee)
LB Jahlani Tavai (groin)
OT Caedan Wallace (ankle)
We'll get you ready for Saturday's Patriots-Chargers game with Patriots GameDay at 11:30 a.m. on WBZ-TV! After the game, switch over to TV38 for full reaction and analysis on Patriots 5th Quarter!
