Full House? Belichick Offers Outlook For Patriots Roster Prior To Las Vegas Trip

Which New England Patriots will head west this weekend, as the Pats prepare to take on the Las Vegas Raiders in their preseason finale.

FOXBORO — As the New England Patriots prepare to travel to fabulous Las Vegas, Nevada for the conclusion of their 2022 preseason slate, coach Bill Belichick expects to be doing so with a ‘full house of Pats.’

Or, close to it. 

Following the Patriots 20-10 victory over the Carolina Panthers on Friday, Belichick offered an optimistic update on the state of his roster as they head west for two days of joint practices with the Raiders. The teams will meet on Friday, Aug. 26, their final preseason game of 2022. 

“I expect probably all of our players to be available this week,” Belichick said. “With maybe the exception of [Kristian] Wilkerson. We'll see what happens, unless somebody walks in here with something today, but I think we should be pretty close with everybody. Hopefully. We'll see how it goes.”

In the aftermath of Friday’s 20-10 win over the Carolina Panthers, New England had its share of questions surrounding the status of some of their notable players. 

Wide receiver Kendrick Bourne, left tackle Trent Brown, right tackle Isaiah Wynn, tight end Hunter Henry were among the starting-caliber players who were absent on Friday.

Recently, Wynn has become more conspicuous by his absence. The 26-year-old has been absent from practice since Aug 9. He did not play during last Thursday’s preseason loss to the New York Giants, a game which was largely devoid of starters. Wynn did not participate in last week’s joint practices with the Panthers, and is considered “day to day,” per Belichick.

Henry left the field during Tuesday’s practice with an injury and was not at practice on Wednesday. However, multiple reports have indicated that his injury is minor in nature, and that he is expected to be just fine in the coming days.

Despite Brown’s injury history being worthy of attention, the massive left tackle’s absence was not due to injury. Rather, he was given the night off. 

The biggest surprise inclusion among Friday’s absentees was Bourne. The 27-year-old was dismissed from a drill on Tuesday for an apparent uniform violation. Later that same day, he was ejected from the session entirely for fighting. He then spent most of Wednesday’s practice running with the second unit. 

Bourne is still expected to play a notable role in the Patriots passing game in 2022. However, the ‘HC of the NEP’ offered a cryptic response when asked about the reason for Bourne’s absence on Friday. 

“He wasn’t available,” Belichick said. 

Perhaps the most significant concern surrounds rookie wide receiver Tyquan Thornton. The Baylor product left with a shoulder injury in the fourth quarter of preseason game 2. Shortly thereafter, he was ruled out for the remainder of the game. Though it has yet to be confirmed, it is believed that Thornton suffered the injury under heavy contact while being tackled by both Panthers safety Sean Chandler and linebacker Brandon Smith. 

Though Belichick failed to mention Thornton by name when speaking of potential roster concerns in his postgame remarks, a formal evaluation of his injury will be needed to ensure his availability for the week. The Patriots coach confirmed this when speaking with the media on Saturday morning. 

“I didn't have any updates on any of the players last night,” Belichick said. “I said ‘at this point in time’ and from what we knew going into the game that's what it was. But, as always, we'll see what happens after the game. I don't know. 

Wilkerson was the only Patriots player specifically referenced by Belichick during his postgame remarks. After absorbing a crushing hit from Carolina Panthers safety Kenny Robinson during a kick-coverage drill on the second day of joint practices between the two teams. Wilkerson was carted off the field to be evaluated for a head injury. The Pats wideout is currently in league protocol, and thus is expected to miss the Pats’ preseason finale. 

New England will have the day off on Saturday, before traveling to Las Vegas on Sunday. The team will practice on Monday at the Raiders’ team facility before engaging in joint practices on Tuesday and Wednesday.