Patriots vs. Panthers: Who’s Out, Who's In?

FOXBORO — As the New England Patriots take the field at Gillette Stadium for their second preseason matchup of 2022, they will do so without a few notable members of their

Several starters including quarterback Mac Jones, linebacker Matthew Judon and cornerback Jalen Mills expected to see notable time on the field against the Carolina Panthers on Friday. However, several starting-caliber players were not spotted as the team arrived. The list of absentees includes:

Kendrick Bourne

Trent Brown

Isaiah Wynn

Hunter Henry

Justin Herron

Bill Murray

Kristian Wilkerson

Andrew Stueber (non-football injury)

Recently, Wynn has become more conspicuous by his absence. The 26-year-old has been absent from practice since Aug 9. He did not play during last Thursday’s preseason loss to the New York Giants, a game which was largely devoid of starters. Wynn did not participate in this week’s joint practices with the Panthers, and is considered “day to day,” per coach Bill Belichick.

Henry left the field during Tuesday’s practice with an injury and was not at practice on Wednesday. However, multiple reports have indicated that his injury is minor in nature, and that he is expected to be just fine in the coming days.

While Brown’s absence is likely due to workload management, Herron has recently been limited in practice after suffering an undisclosed injury last week against the Giants. With both linemen out, Yodny Cajuste will get the start at left tackle, while Michael Onwenu will start at right tackle.

The biggest surprise inclusion among Friday’s absentees is Bourne. The 27-year-old was dismissed from a drill on Tuesday for an apparent uniform violation. Later that same day, he was ejected from the session entirely for fighting. He then spent most of Wednesday’s practice running with the second unit. Bourne is still expected to play a notable role in the Patriots passing game in 2022.