Patriots' Jerod Mayo Dishes Injury Update on Starting LT Vederian Lowe

The New England Patriots are already dealing with some injuries to kick off their upcoming season.

Aug 03, 2024; Foxborough, MA, USA; New England Patriots offensive tackle Vederian Lowe (59) waits to do a drill during training camp at Gillette Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Eric Canha-USA TODAY Sports / Eric Canha-USA TODAY Sports

The New England Patriots may have to mitigate some additional troubles on the offensive line ahead of their looming 2024-25 campaign as some injuries have crept into the fold.

During last week's Patriots practice, we saw pending starting LT Vederian Lowe go down with an apparent side injury that's now kept him out of action for the past week-- including New England's final preseason game vs. Washington Commanders.

With Week One of the regular season standing less than two weeks away, questions are now starting to creep in surrounding his availability for when the real action kicks off next Sunday. However, head coach Jerod Mayo went on to reveal some additional news surrounding his status, as well as what's to come for the full offensive line for the season opener during his Wednesday presser.

According to Mayo, Lowe is dealing with a "little something" that's kept him out of action with a seemingly foggy timeline, but there's still "clarity" for the offensive line, and specifically the left tackle position for Week One:

" Vederian [Lowe] right now, he's dealing with a little something. We'll see when he's healthy. We'll see when he gets back out there what that looks like. I think there is clarity as far as Week 1. Once again, I know everyone's focused on Week 1, but I think you have to look out the front windshield at times, like, 'How does this evolve over time?"

- Jerod Mayo on Vederian Lowe

Without Lowe in the mix, the Patriots tried their hand at some new offensive line combinations vs. the Commanders, mostly with Chukwuma Okorafor handing a significant chunk of the first-team reps at left tackle. However, things went far from well during his time holding down the left side, as the offseason addition was tagged with an impressive three illegal formation penalties during the contest.

The Patriots aren't an elite team on the front lines by any stretch, but seeing costly penalties as they suffered with Okorafor in the lineup is something this offense can't afford if they want to see any improvements in their production on that side of the ball from a year ago.

Lowe may not be a Trent Williams type of talent, yet he may be a better option for New England to facilitate mistake-free football than Okorafor would provide. Getting him back on the field would be notable for the Patriots as they try to make do with their 28th-best-ranked offensive line in the eyes of Pro Football Focus.

Lowe's status remains up in the air for the Patriots' opener vs. the Cincinnati Bengals. but keep an eye on how his availability may change leading into their road battle.

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