Patriots get good, bad injury news before Thursday’s game

The New England Patriots will likely roll out a shorthanded squad on Thursday for their primetime matchup against the Bears at Soldier Field.

Entering an abbreviated week with no days off, the Patriots released their first practice report on Monday evening as the team begins prep for a road bout against a 4-2 Chicago team.

Here is New England’s full injury report following a walkthrough on Monday:

Did not participate

K Andy Borregales – Personal
OL Ben Brown – Knee
CB Carlton Davis III – Neck
DT Joshua Farmer – Personal
G Alijah Vera-Tucker – Hamstring

Limited participation

WR A.J. Brown – Ankle
CB Channing Canada – Hamstring
T Morgan Moses – Foot
CB Karon Prunty – Hamstring

Full participation

T Marcus Bryant – Ankle
S Kevin Byard III – Chest
T Will Campbell – Knee
LB Christian Elliss – Chest
RB TreVeyon Henderson – Ankle
LB Dre’Mont Jones – Shoulder
QB Drake Maye – Right Shoulder
S Craig Woodson – Shoulder

The Patriots’ bleak injury report was expected, especially after Sunday’s 26-19 win over the Jets.

In a game where New England ducked long-term injuries to key cogs like Will Campbell and secured long-awaited reinforcements like A.J. Brown and Christian Gonzalez, the Patriots were once again hampered by injuries.

Beyond a shoulder injury to Romeo Doubs that prompted the team to place him on injured reserve earlier Monday, the Patriots lost three starting offensive linemen, with Morgan Moses (ankle), Ben Brown (knee), and Alijah Vera-Tucker (hamstring) all exiting that matchup against the Jets.

Speaking after Sunday’s win, Coach Mike Vrabel was candid about the availability of his banged-up players, especially in an abbreviated week with little downtime available.

“It’s a short week,” Vrabel said. “So whether they can make it back or not, I don’t know. They don’t finish the game. We’ll have to see. But I don’t know [anything] other than that. And we’ll just have to figure out who we have available and find 48 [players] to put out there. So it’s just hard to say, but it’s a short week. And if you don’t finish the game, that’s a quick turnaround.”

The turnaround time for both Brown and Vera-Tucker’s injuries aren’t exactly encouraging, although New England unearthed some good news via Monday’s injury report regarding Moses.

It was just a walkthrough, but Moses’ “limited” status at least offers some sliver of hope that the veteran tackle could be back on the gridiron for Thursday’s game against the Bears.

For what it’s worth, rookie tackle Caleb Lomu did an admirable job on Sunday stepping in for Moses. PFF tabbed Lomu with zero pressures allowed in 30 pass-blocking snaps.

But if Moses can play against Chicago, Vrabel and his coaching staff have the luxury of pushing Lomu to the interior at guard — especially if Vera-Tucker and Brown are sidelined.

Conor Ryan is a staff writer covering the Bruins, Celtics, Patriots, and Red Sox for Boston.com, a role he has held since 2023.