New England Patriots
Campbell has been out since Nov. 23 after suffering an MCL sprain.
FOXBOROUGH — Patriots offensive tackle Will Campbell is expected to return to practice this week, coach Mike Vrabel told reporters Monday afternoon.
Campbell has been on injured reserve since suffering an MCL sprain in the Nov. 23 win over the Bengals. Players who are coming off injured reserve must be activated within 21 days of their return to practice or return to IR for the remainder of the season.
The rookie left tackle has traveled with the team the past two weeks, even though he was not required to, Vrabel said.
“I think Will cares deeply about this team and the players on it,” Vrabel said. “That was his decision. I mean, I usually would rather these guys stay, get some rest, recover and treatment, and once he started feeling good enough to travel he asked to go.
“And so, I think it can only help him to be around his teammates, be into the game, and help them, just like Mack [Hollins] did [Sunday].”
The Patriots have gone 3-1 during Campbell’s absence. Vederian Lowe has played left tackle in 256 of the Patriots’ 257 offensive snaps while Campbell has been out. He has allowed one sack over that stretch.
“I’m glad that they’ve been able to trust me enough to put me out there to protect such a great player like Drake [Maye],” Lowe said. “Drake has had a phenomenal year and Will has done a fantastic job. Sitting behind there, watching what the O-line has done this season, I wanted to make sure that when I got in, there wasn’t a drop-off.”
It’s not yet clear whether Campbell will play in Sunday’s regular-season finale against the Dolphins. But with the playoffs quickly approaching, the Patriots are anticipating his return.
“Just seeing him be around while he’s been rehabbing, we know we’re going to get him back,” Lowe said. “We’re just trying to keep establishing the continuity, you know we’ve got a lot of parts, guys in and out. Jared [Wilson] went down a couple of times, and things like that.
“But we know come playoff time we’re going to get some guys back, and it’s been really good to just see the development of the chemistry that we’ve all had coming together. It’s been really good, though, just seeing Will traveling with the guys, and I’m excited to get him back out there, for sure.”
Little time to celebrate
With the Bills’ loss to the Eagles on Sunday, the Patriots clinched their first AFC East title since 2019.
Playoff football will return to Foxborough. It will be the Patriots’ first home playoff game since Vrabel’s Titans knocked them out during the 2019 wild-card round.
Vrabel said the atmosphere on the bus ride home from the Meadowlands was great.
“Everybody was kind of watching on their phones or following along,” Vrabel said. “I think the timing of it worked out well, that the Eagles were able to win, and then we were able to kind of time it up here, and have the hats and the T-shirts here ready to go pretty quickly.
“Players enjoyed it. Staff enjoyed it. I thought it was perfect timing, and then everybody kind of went on their way.”
Although the Patriots already have their playoff ticket punched, Sunday’s game could still prove to be meaningful. A Patriots win and a Broncos loss would give New England the top seed in the AFC and a first-round bye.
“It was about 15 minutes to get a picture, the shirts passed out, the hats passed out, and the pictures organized,” Vrabel said. “But other than that, back to work, focused on the Dolphins, focused on who we may have and a plan that we’ll have to try to put together to improve.
“And I think that’s the biggest thing, is just trying to really target the things that can reasonably be improved from a technical standpoint and just things that come up throughout the game that we’ve maybe been working on and that we’ve seen or saw, and then some things that we’ve maybe been working on that haven’t showed up. And that’s what you do. You stay consistent and just continue to coach.”
Time for roster shuffling
The Patriots released cornerback Miles Battle and offensive lineman Brenden Jaimes on Monday. The team did not announce any corresponding moves.
With Campbell expected to begin his return window this week, and Milton Williams’s window already open, the Patriots will need spots for them whenever they are activated.
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