The Patriots’ already battered offensive line suffered another potential loss Friday night in the team’s preseason finale against the Tennessee Titans.
Riley Reiff — starting at right guard — had his right knee rolled up on a running play before being tended to by trainers. The 12th-year veteran walked to the blue pop-up medical tent on the Patriots’ sideline under his own power before departing for the locker room.
Reiff was expected to serve as the Patriots’ starting right tackle after signing a one-year, $5 million contract this offseason in free agency. He’s recently moved inside to guard with starting left guard Cole Strange nursing an injury suffered in the first week of training camp and right guard Mike Onwenu only recently being activated off of the physically unable to perform list. Reiff was seemingly competing with Conor McDermott at right tackle early in training camp. Rookie Sidy Sow has started the Patriots’ last two games at right tackle.
Most of the Patriots’ starters sat out Friday. It’s unclear if Reiff was playing because he’s still competing for a roster spot or if the team was giving him more reps at a position in which he’s relatively inexperienced. The 35-year-old has spent his entire career at left and right tackle.
The Patriots are just over two weeks away from their season debut against the Philadelphia Eagles. Strange hasn’t participated in practice since the first week of training camp, and Onwenu was activated off of the PUP list on Wednesday but did not actually participate in practice. Left tackle Trent Brown and center David Andrews are the only fully healthy projected Patriots starting offensive linemen.
The team’s top backups are Sow at tackle and rookie Atonio Mafi at guard. Rookie Jake Andrews started at center Friday night, and veteran James Ferentz is still in the mix. Second-year pro Kody Russey briefly served as a starting guard but suffered an injury in the Patriots’ first preseason game and hasn’t practiced over the last two weeks.
Offseason addition Calvin Anderson, who was expected to serve as a swing tackle this season, remains on the non-football illness list.
The Patriots’ offensive line puzzle is hard to assemble with so many missing and broken pieces.