The New England Patriots have not had a great first season under head coach Jerod Mayo. New England is 3-8 heading into Week 12 and are clearly still in rebuild mode. Thankfully, Patriots fans have something to cheer about as they just got some positive injury news on Wednesday.
Patriots coach Jerod Mayo said on Wednesday that guard Cole Strange will return to practice, per ESPN's Mike Reiss. Mayo said it is an exciting day on Strange's journey recovering from a serious knee injury.
This is great news for the future of the Patriots. Cole Strange is a former first-round pick who should be a starter in 2025. Strange originally suffered this knee injury late in the 2023 season. However, it has taken him multiple months into the regular season to finally practice.
The Patriots' offensive line has been battered with injuries this season. Beyond Strange, the Patriots have also been without Chukwuma Okorafor, Caedan Wallace, and David Andrews for much of the season. The rotating cast on the o-line has not been great for the development of rookie QB Drake Maye.
Unfortunately, this injury news should not have an impact on how well the Patriots play for the rest of the 2024 regular season.
Next up for the Patriots is a Week 12 matchup against the Dolphins.
Patriots rumored to target wide receiver, offensive line in 2025 free agency
The Patriots have a long way to go before they'll be a competitive team in the AFC. New England is in year one of a rebuild that will take them multiple years to complete.
It appears that the Patriots have already crafted part of their offseason plans, per ESPN's Dan Graziano and Jeremy Fowler.
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New England reportedly plans to focus on reinforcing its offensive line and adding wide receivers during free agency. They are still anticipating bigger roles for Ja'Lynn Polk and Javon Baker in the future, but could use additional reinforcements.
Similarly on the offensive line, things will look better with Cole Strange back in the lineup. Regardless, the Patriots will be looking to beef up the unit protecting QB Drake Maye from harm.
The Patriots already have some nice pieces to build around on defense, so attacking the offense seems smart. Christian Gonzales, Christian Barmore, and Kyle Dugger are a few of the great players New England still has on defense.
It will be interesting to see how much the Patriots can improve during the offseason. If they make enough smart moves, they could enter the middle class of NFL teams in a hurry.
