Patriots Insider Unveils Details of Cole Strange's Prolonged Injury

The New England Patriots guard is looking to miss some time next season.

Dec 17, 2023; Foxborough, Massachusetts, USA; New England Patriots guard Cole Strange (69) is carted off the field during the first half against the Kansas City Chiefs at Gillette Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Eric Canha-USA TODAY Sports / Eric Canha-USA TODAY Sports

It may be a long road back to the field for New England Patriots guard Cole Strange.

The injury status of the Patriots guard has been foggy since he was carted off last December vs. the Kansas City Chiefs, but thanks to some further intel dug up from ESPN insider Mike Reiss, Stange's diagnosis has finally been revealed.

According to Reiss, Strange is recovering from a torn patellar tendon in his left knee-- a brutal result for the Patriots' former first-round pick.

We already knew Strange was set to miss some time early in the season due to the injury, but we were unaware of the exact implications of why he would be sidelined. A torn patellar tendon further verifies the severity and could end up keeping him out of action until mid-way through New England's regular season campaign.

Strange has remained a staple on this Patriots offensive line when healthy, landing as a starter at guard on the left side during the first 27 games of his career. The Chattanooga product was selected with the 29th overall pick during the 2022 NFL Draft.

Now, New England will have to turn elsewhere early in the year to shore up any uncertainty up-front. Especially if third-overall pick Drake Maye finds a route to start under center, this team must protect their young signal caller properly.

As to who could help fill the hole Strange effectively leaves, names like second-year guard Sidy Sow and rookie Landon Robinson stick out as key candidates to step in early on, but we likely won't know for sure until we get closer to New England's training camp.

Keep an eye on what's to come for this Patriots offensive line once this unit steps back onto the practice field in late July.

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