The knee injury that knocked DeVante Parker out of Sunday’s New England Patriots game reportedly won’t sideline him for long.
Parker suffered “just a knee sprain,” according to a report Monday from NFL Media’s Ian Rapoport, and is expected to miss one game at most. The wide receiver “could be back after the (Patriots’ Week 10) bye.”
Parker sustained the injury on the first play of New England’s 22-17 victory over the New York Jets at MetLife Stadium, tweaking his knee on an off-target pass from quarterback Mac Jones. He did not return to the game but was spotted in the locker room afterward.
With Parker unavailable, rookie Tyquan Thornton became the Patriots’ second-most utilized receiver behind Jakobi Meyers, playing 61 offensive snaps to Kendrick Bourne’s 54 and Nelson Agholor’s 19. Agholor and Bourne both have been rumored as possible trade candidates ahead of Tuesday’s NFL trade deadline, and with Parker reportedly avoiding serious injury, the Patriots have the receiver depth to move one if they receive an appropriate offer.
Parker, the Patriots’ marquee offseason acquisition, has 15 catches on 28 targets for 321 yards and one touchdown this season, including highlight-reel contested grabs against the Baltimore Ravens, Cleveland Browns and Chicago Bears.
New England’s wideout production Sunday was heavily tilted toward Meyers. He caught nine passes on 12 targets for 60 yards and a touchdown while Thornton, Bourne, Agholor and Parker combined for just two catches on five targets for 15 yards. Running back Rhamondre Stevenson led all Patriots pass-catchers with 72 yards on seven receptions.
The Patriots will host the Indianapolis Colts this Sunday in the final game before their bye week.
