Patriots OL Yodny Cajuste Leaves With Apparent Leg Injury

New England Patriots swing tackle Yodny Cajuste has been making a strong case to earn a roster spot along the offensive line in 2022.

FOXBORO — New England Patriots reserve tackle Yodny Cajuste continues to have poor luck when it comes to injury. 

Early in the fourth quarter of the Pats preseason opener against the New York Giants on Thursday, Cajuste went to the ground holding his knee. While he was able to walk off under his own power, Cajuste was helped to the sidelines. 

Though fellow reserve tackle Justin Herron - who later also went down with an apparent leg injury but walked to the sideline on his own power - has taken a greater amount of training camp snaps, Cajuste came into the evening as the one to watch among New England’s backup offensive linemen. Thus far in training camp, Cajuste has emerged as the team’s potential top reserve swing tackle.

With right tackle Isaiah Wynn having missed practice time earlier in the week, Herron struggled alongside the first unit. In light of Wynn’s absence on Tuesday, Cajuste got the nod and fared much better than his counterpart. He and starting right guard Michael Onwenu combined for a significant push on the right side of the line, which helped free running back Rhamondre Stevenson for a significant run. In total, the offense seems to run a bit smoother with Cajuste manning the right tackle position.

Cajuste was drafted by the Patriots in the third round (101 overall) of the 2019 NFL Draft. However, he spent the better part of his first two seasons with the Pats on injured reserve with quad an knee injuries.Though injuries limited his time on the field during his first three seasons, the West Virginia product does have starting potential. Cajuste possesses the quickness to get into position and the strength enough to wall-off defenders in the running game. He has average length for a tackle, but was known to give up the edge at times. 

With Wynn absent from Thursday’s game, both Cajuste and Herron saw notable snaps along the Patriots offensive line. 

After being evaluated in the blue medical tent, Cajuste was seen on the sidelines riding a stationary bike. An update on his status is expected within the next 24-48 hours.