FOXBORO, Mass. — With Jonathan Wilhite being placed on injured reserve, the Patriots have become uncomfortably thin at cornerback.
Wilhite, who has missed the last four games with a hamstring injury, had been replaced as a slot cornerback by second-year corner Darius Butler, who lost his starting job in Week 3 to Kyle Arrington.
However, rookie standout Devin McCourty suffered a rib injury while forcing a Johnny Knox fumble Sunday against the Bears, and his status for this weekend is up in the air. If McCourty can’t play Sunday against the Packers, the Patriots will only have three cornerbacks — Arrington, Butler and Chevis Jackson, who was signed last Friday and was inactive against Chicago.
Safety Patrick Chung often plays in the slot, so he’d be an obvious candidate in that role, particularly with the Patriots being able to dress five safeties on game days. Chung has also played some outside cornerback in a pinch.
Ultimately, the loss of Wilhite hurts the Patriots’ depth at cornerback, but they’ve been able to adjust to his injury in the last month. However, McCourty’s health will dictate just how depleted the Patriots are at the position.
