How Patriots can avoid placing Rhamondre Stevenson on IR after multi-week knee injury originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
The day after the New England Patriots were blown out by the Green Bay Packers, they got some bad news about running back Rhamondre Stevenson.
Advertisement
According to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, Stevenson is expected to “miss the next few weeks” due to a knee injury. New England will be without Stevenson for some time as he deals with this multi-week knee injury.
However, even though Stevenson is set to miss some time, New England can avoid placing him on injured reserve. The reason why? It’s all thanks to the team’s well-timed Week 11 bye.
How the Patriots can avoid putting Rhamondre Stevenson on IR
“Patriots RB Rhamondre Stevenson is expected to miss the next few weeks because of a plantaris tendon issue in the back of his knee, sources say,” Rapoport reports. “No surgery, just rest and rehab for Stevenson.”
Advertisement
For one, hearing that Stevenson doesn’t need surgery is some great news. Surgery likely would’ve meant a lengthy absence, and a much more likely stint on IR.
He is going to miss Week 10, which will make the Patriots’ backfield thin, with the injury issue for TreVeyon Henderson as well. They could look to trade for an RB at the NFL trade deadline.
But the good news for the Patriots is that with a Week 11 bye, they have a real chance to avoid placing Stevenson on IR, even if he does wind up not playing for four weeks.
MORE: Mike Vrabel gives blunt assessment of Christian Gonzalez’s struggles
Advertisement
With Stevenson all but ruled out for Week 10, and the Patriots’ Week 11 bye, Stevenson’s status will be one to keep track of the team’s next few games coming out of the bye.
So long as the Patriots anticipate Stevenson coming back in Week 13 or Week 14, there is no reason to place him on IR. If he goes on IR, he would have to miss through at least Week 14, which would be quite the lengthy absence for an already thin RB room.
Based on the “rest and rehab” prescription for Stevenson, however, it would make sense for the Patriots to get their top RB back in time in any of Weeks 12, 13, or 14, which would mean IR wouldn’t need to be used.
While the Patriots’ RB room will be thin for Week 10, and maybe Week 12 as well, this update isn’t all terrible, considering Stevenson doesn’t need surgery, and there’s no mention of him needing to go on IR.
Advertisement
More NFL news:
Disclaimer : This story is auto aggregated by a computer programme and has not been created or edited by DOWNTHENEWS. Publisher: Sports.yahoo.com
