The New England Patriots received some good news Wednesday, but it didn’t come without plenty of follow-up questions.
Cole Strange returned to practice, marking his first time back in a competitive environment since suffering a torn patellar tendon last December. New England kept him on the physically unable to perform list for nearly five months, but ultimately decided it was time to open his three-week return window.
Strange now will try to work his way back into the starting lineup, where he has plenty of options to earn a job.
“I think just going through the individual drills and seeing how he responds to that stuff is the most important thing,” Patriots head coach Jerod Mayo said on Wednesday, per team-provided transcript. “He does have the flexibility to play center and play guard. He’s been getting extra work at center. Dave Andrews has done a good job with him as well — going back to a guy that, he’s on (injured reserve) for the year, but just his leadership remains in the building. One of those tasks has been to help Cole understand the center position while he wasn’t able to be on the practice field.”
New England could use an upgrade at almost every spot along the offensive line, with Mike Onwenu’s place at right guard feeling like the only spot not worth reevaluating at this time. Strange’s potential return likely will come down to who is playing worse — Michael Jordan or Ben Brown.
The Patriots have three weeks to officially activate Strange, meaning the latest he could possibly return would be against the Arizona Cardinals in Week 15. If he’s not ready at that point, New England would revert him to injured reserve and lose him for the season.
