New England Patriots
Van Roten had started all 17 regular-season games in each of the past three years.
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The Patriots have placed veteran offensive lineman Greg Van Roten on injured reserve, the team announced Tuesday.
Van Roten suffered a thigh injury during Sunday’s loss to Jacksonville. He had been filling in for Mike Onwenu, who suffered a broken ankle during New England’s win against Pittsburgh the previous week.
Van Roten, 36, began his career with the Packers in 2012 after signing as an undrafted free-agent out of Penn. He had stints with the Panthers, Jets, Bills, Raiders, and Giants before joining the Patriots. He also briefly spent time with the Seahawks and Jaguars in separate offseasons.
Van Roten had started all 17 regular-season games in each of the past three years. He has made 106 NFL starts over a dozen years in the league.
He appeared in all three of the Patriots’ games so far this season, with the lone start on Sunday in place of Ownenu.
Walter Rouse, a 2024 6th-round pick who primarily plays offensive tackle, filled in for Van Roten following the injury.
According to ESPN’s Mike Reiss, backup center Ben Brown is also expected to take snaps at right-guard this week. The Patriots open divisional play with a road game at Buffalo on Sunday afternoon.
Vrabel has also said at points that the team may consider playing first-round pick Caleb Lomu at guard. So far, Lomu’s game snaps have been exclusively been at tackle.
Injuries have been piling up for the Patriots. Along with Onwenu and Van Roten, A.J. Brown, Marcus Bryant, Khalil Jacobs, and Quintayvious Huntchins are on injured reserve. Harold Landry, who led the team in sacks last year, has yet to play this season.
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