Patriots Preparing for Two Injured Starters to Return This Season

Defensive tackle Milton Williams isn't eligible to be activated off on injured reserve until Week 17. Rookie offensive tackle Will Campbell can make his return to the field one game later. The New England Patriots, however, continue to keep their injured stars engaged off the field and are working them back into the starting lineup when they're healthy.

When Williams went down with a high-ankle sprain against the New York Jets in Week 11, it was a major blow to the team's front seven. Then Campbell suffered what some reports are calling a major MCL sprain that landed him on IR against the Cincinnati Bengals a week later. This week, both players were spotted in the locker room without any brace or boot, a positive sign for both players' health.

Head coach Mike Vrabel was asked about the pair of Patriots, and what their appearance in the locker room might mean for their eventual returns for the postseason. Vrabel's answer shined some light on what the team is doing behind-the-scenes to get them ready to return.

"We'll get them back," Vrabel said. "We have a plan for each guy. And again, I appreciate them being good with the plan that we have, talking about being in the meetings, then getting out of meetings early, going to rehab so that there's some timing and we're not overloading the training room. And then usually a week before they can start practicing, we'll get them into meetings full-time, kind of go from there and see. And whether that's at three weeks or that's at five or six weeks, it's all different, but that's kind of how we plan it out with players that are on injured reserve."

Sep 28, 2025; Foxborough, Massachusetts, USA; New England Patriots offensive tackle Will Campbell (66) talks to a teammate during the second half against the Carolina Panthers at Gillette Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Bob DeChiara-Imagn Images | Bob DeChiara-Imagn Images

In their place, the Patriots have gotten key contributions by the backups. Against the New York Giants, Vederian Lowe made his first start at left tackle and didn't allow a single pressure when facing all-world edge rusher Brian Burns. On the other side of the line of scrimmage, some reserve defensive linemen stepped up in what was a banged up front seven (Khyiris Tonga missed the game as well with a chest injury).

Depth Players Stepping Up In Wake Of Williams, Campbell Injuries

"I think Cory (Durden)'s continued to improve and play a lot of football for us, and Eric (Gregory)'s taking the opportunities on Thursdays that we've had in those competitive practices to get better," Vrabel said earlier in the week. "Again, we'll need everybody up front. How important the ability to stop the run is this week. That's just a large part of what they do. They have a lot of confidence in it. Not the only thing that they do. They do a lot of things well, but certainly they're going to run it until you stop them, and then they're going to have everything off of it."

Both players, should they return for what New England hopes is a deep playoff run, should be key contributors in what's been a resurgence of Patriots football under Vrabel in year one.

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