UPDATE (6:10 p.m. ET): The Patriots have made the roster moves official. David Andrews and Josh Uche will be going on injured reserve. Center James Ferentz has been signed to the 53-man roster. Defensive lineman Nick Thurman and wide receiver Isaiah Zuber have been elevated from the practice squad.
ORIGINAL STORY: David Andrews is going to be missing a little time.
The New England Patriots center reportedly broke his thumb and it required surgery, which was going to force him to miss some time.
Turns out, it’ll be at least three weeks.
The Patriots are placing Andrews and rookie linebacker Josh Uche on injured reserve, ESPN’s Field Yates reported Saturday. Because of new IR rules, they can be activated after three weeks. With those two down, center James Ferentz will be elevated from the practice squad.
While both losses are less than ideal for the Patriots, Andrews is more of a gut punch. New England’s offensive line clearly is better with him snapping the ball, and his presence was sorely missed in 2019 when he was out for the entire campaign due to blood clots.
Uche has yet to appear in a game this season due to a foot injury.
Ferentz has been in the NFL since 2014 and with the Patriots organization on and off since 2017. He has spent much of his time with the Patriots on the practice squad but did play in 15 games (two starts) last season with Andrews out.
The Patriots will face the Las Vegas Raiders on Sunday afternoon at Gillette Stadium. It’s likely Ferentz will be snapping the ball to Cam Newton in that game.
