Patriots Appeared to Avoid Disaster With Pair of OL Injuries

While the New England Patriots are fairly deep at the offensive tackle position, their depth at both guard and center isn't as vast. That position group took a hit Thursday night, as two of the team's starting offensive linemen left with injuries.

Against the Indianapolis Colts in the preseason opener, center Ben Brown and left guard Andrew Rupcich both went down with lower-body injuries before being treated in the medical tent. Postgame, though, it's looking like the Patriots avoided disaster.

At the end of the first quarter of what turned into a 13-13 tie, it looked like quarterback Tommy DeVito was tackled into the legs of Brown. The 28-year-old fell to the ground and was down for a little bit before the Patriots medical staff could get to him.

Depth May Become A Major Issue

He would need assistance to get off the field, eventually being led into the blue medical tent on the sideline. After a short stint inside, he would be led to the Patriots locker room. With his night done, the Patriots turned to undrafted rookie Jacob Rizy to replace him.

When asked for an update on Brown's status postgame, head coach Mike Vrabel didn't have anything new. He did, however, leave the door ajar for it to not be much.

"No, he wasn't able to return unfortunately," Vrabel said. "We'll evaluate, hopefully know more in the morning. I don't think it's anything too serious, but I also don't want to speculate until we're able to do some more tests."

Aug 13, 2026; Foxborough, Massachusetts, USA; New England Patriots center Ben Brown (77) warms up before a preseason game against the Indianapolis Colts at Gillette Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Natalie Reid-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

With Rizy in the starting lineup now for his NFL debut, the interior of the Patriots offensive line got a little bit thinner. Behind Brown/Rupcich, the team has James Hudson (a converted tackle) playing right guard, with Mehki Butler, JonDarious Morgan and potentially first round rookie Caleb Lomu potentially able to chip in at that spot.

Rupcich On His Knee Injury:

But then Rupcich went down, and it made things a bit harder. After a run play in the second half, the 27-year-old Rupcich crumpled to the ground and reached for his left knee. At first glance, it didn't look good by any stretch of the imagination as his Patriots teammates waved for trainers to attend to him.

He would walk off on his own power, and after his own trip to the medical tent, he would remain on the sideline without an obvious limp. In the lineup, Butler came in to replace him.

After the game, Rupcich said that he's feeling OK and that is knee just got rolled up. He appeared in good spirits and would leave the locker room with ice wrapped around his knee.

Overall, it could have been much worse for the Patriots. With a semi-positive outlook on Brown and Rupcich not being all doom and gloom postgame should be a nice sign for the guard depth. And yet, it's still an area that might need to be looked at.

The Patriots hosted free agent Greg Van Roten to a workout earlier in the summer, a veteran who played in 17 games for the New York Giants last season. Whether it's him or another street free agent to help be a camp body, the Patriots might need to bring in reinforcements to protect their quarterbacks.

On the field, it didn't look good for Brown, Rupcich and the Patriots. And yet, they might have all avoided disaster.

Make sure you bookmark New England Patriots on SI for the latest news, exclusive interviews, film breakdowns, and so much more!

Add us as a preferred source on Google