The New England Patriots made an under-the-radar move last month when they dealt backup offensive tackle Justin Herron to the Las Vegas Raiders in a trade that included a pick swap.
The start of Herron’s tenure with his new team barely got off the ground, though.
The Raiders placed Herron on injured reserve Friday and he will miss the rest of the season after he reportedly tore his ACL during practice the day prior, according to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport. It is a significant blow for the 6-foot-5, 305-pounder after he seemed to be gaining traction with the Raiders. He played in his first game for the Josh McDaniels-coached Las Vegas squad last week in a win over the Denver Broncos, seeing the field for 23% of the team’s offensive snaps.
Herron played the last two seasons for the Patriots before he was traded after Week 2 this year. He didn’t play in any contests for New England this season. The Patriots received a 2024 sixth-round pick for Herron while also sending Las Vegas a 2024 seventh-round pick.
Signing veteran offensive tackle Marcus Cannon to the practice squad just prior to the season opener, and giving him a sizeable role in his first game of the season during Sunday’s loss to the Green Bay Packers, could have been one of the reasons why the Patriots were fine with parting ways with Herron.
Despite the change of scenery, it’s now a completely lost season for Herron, who started 10 games over his two-plus years in New England.
