New England Patriots
Williams is working hard to get back, Vrabel said, but the Patriots will be without him for a while.
FOXBOROUGH – Milton Williams will miss at least four games after the Patriots placed him on injured reserve with a high-ankle sprain, but Mike Vrabel isn’t ready to talk about his season in the past tense.
The soonest that Williams would be eligible for a return would be the rematch with the Jets on Dec. 28 at MetLife Stadium. It could take longer depending on the severity of the injury, as well as his recovery.
Williams has made an immediate impact after signing a four-year, $104 million deal with the Patriots during the offseason. He has been a disruptive force up front, anchoring the league’s top run defense while posting 3.5 sacks and 7 tackles for loss.
“He has a combination of quickness and power that’s just – you can’t put it into words,” offensive guard Jared Wilson said. “Going up against him in training camp every day really opened my eyes to the fact that there’s levels to this.”
“We won’t have [Williams], so for the foreseeable future, he’ll work hard to get back,” coach Mike Vrabel said Monday. “So, that’s really where our focus is, it’s not so much as a reflection as it is just focusing on how do we get the guys ready to perform and continue to improve.”
The Patriots have won eight straight games. They have doubled last year’s win total and then some. They have shown signs of improvement during the streak, which they’ll strive to continue as they get ready to visit Cincinnati this week.
“I think the thing we’re trying to get everybody to understand is how much this is a progress league, and to be able to improve as the season goes on,” Vrabel said. “And so, we’ll have to do that without Milt, who’s one of our contributors and is a big part of what we’ve done. But we’ll have to do it without him here for a few weeks.”
New England’s defensive line depth has been solid. Christian Barmore remains a key cog up front. Khyiris Tonga had been solid in the middle as a nose tackle and on offense as a short yardage fullback.
Williams’s injury will test the Patriots’ depth up front. Eric Gregory and Joshua Farmer are rookies. Jeremiah Pharms Jr, who has played in 28 games over the past two seasons, has yet to make an appearance this year.
“Well, the same guys that I think have been playing,” Vrabel said. “Eric Gregory played in a game for the first time. I thought he battled and is continuing to improve in the show team stuff and practice.”
“We’ll hopefully get Josh [Joshua Farmer] back. I would say that [Jeremiah] Pharms [Jr.] is doing a great job as well on the show team and is ready to go in there at any point. So, I think we’re okay there as far as the depth. We’ll just have to keep working, keep moving along.”
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