The injury that knocked Jonnu Smith out of Sunday’s New England Patriots practice reportedly is not considered serious.
The Patriots tight end suffered a low left ankle sprain during a low-speed collision with safety Devin McCourty, according to a report from ESPN’s Mike Reiss.
“No firm timetable on (Smith’s) return,” Reiss wrote on Twitter, “based on the initial diagnosis, it isn’t considered serious.”
Low ankle sprains tend to be more manageable than their high ankle counterparts, which can sideline players for a month or more.
Smith’s injury occurred during a non-competitive 1-on-1 drill early in practice. He was examined by Patriots head trainer Jim Whalen on the sideline and in the team’s medical shed before departing toward the locker room.
The Patriots signed the top two free agent tight ends available this offseason, and both have now gone down with injuries during training camp. Hunter Henry missed two practices and New England’s first preseason game after injuring his shoulder last weekend.
Henry returned to practice Sunday but was limited, leaving after warmups and spending the rest of his morning on the conditioning field. It’s unclear whether he or Smith will be able to participate in joint practices with the Philadelphia Eagles this Monday and Tuesday or the teams’ preseason matchup Thursday night.
New England released roster long shot David Wells before Sunday’s practice, leaving them with just three available tight end after Smith’s injury. Matt LaCosse saw the largest workload ahead of 2020 third-round draft pick Devin Asiasi and Troy Fumagalli.
