FOXBORO, Mass. -- When an unidentified Patriots offensive lineman wearing No. 64 debuted at practice Wednesday, most reporters present figured he was a new addition to New England's practice squad.
Turns out, that new O-lineman actually has been with the team since the spring.
As ESPN's Mike Reiss astutely noted, No. 64 was rookie tackle Andrew Stueber, the Patriots' seventh-round pick in the 2022 NFL Draft.
Stueber reportedly suffered a torn hamstring after the draft, causing him to miss organized team activities, minicamp and training camp. The Patriots placed the Michigan product on the reserve/non-football injury list before Week 1, and the prevailing sentiment was that his injury would sideline him for the entire season.
But after sitting out the first 14 weeks, Stueber finally made his long-awaited practice debut ahead of Saturday's Christmas Eve matchup with the Cincinnati Bengals.
If he makes it onto the Patriots' 53-man roster, Stueber would provide some much-needed depth at a position group that's been the team's shakiest all season. Tackles Marcus Cannon and Isaiah Wynn are on injured reserve, and Trent Brown and Yodny Cajuste recently have battled illness and injury, respectively. Current starting right tackle Conor McDermott was signed off the New York Jets practice squad last month.
In all likelihood, though, Stueber's situation will be similar to the one 2021 draft picks Cameron McGrone and Joshuah Bledsoe were in late last season. Both of those players began practicing in late November, giving them valuable reps and experience, but never appeared in a game for the '21 Patriots.
Bledsoe went on to make the Patriots' roster this past summer, though he has played sparingly this season in a veteran-laden position group. McGrone landed on the practice squad and was signed by the Indianapolis Colts on Tuesday.
"Look, I think it's hard," center and co-captain David Andrews said after Wednesday's practice. "I've been injured, and even as much as I was around that year (2019), you feel ostracized. That's just part of it. Even if it's just for a week or two, right? It's just what it is. The ship kind of keeps moving on without you, and you're just (riding) along in a lifeboat.
"But I think for (Stueber) to get back out there, it's obviously not the situation he wanted to come into, but he can get back out there and get some action under his belt. I know after (sitting out the season due to blood clots) in '19, I wish I could have gotten out there at the end of the year and not gone a full August until seeing any live action. I know he's happy to be back out there and getting to do what he loves, and that's what we do it for.
"We play a game at the end of the day, so that's huge for him to get some reps, get out there, run around and try to remember how to do this thing."
Per NFL rules, Stueber can practice for 21 days before the Patriots must either add him to the 53-man roster or return him to NFI, which would end his season.
Listed at 6-foot-6, 325 pounds, Stueber started every game over his final two collegiate seasons (20 at right tackle, two at left guard) after missing the 2019 campaign with a torn ACL. If he acquits himself well over these final few weeks, he could factor into New England's tackle plans for 2023.
The Patriots have not prepared well for the future at that key position, with only the injury-prone Brown and Stueber currently under contract for next season. Remedying that -- ideally though both the draft and free agency -- should be near the top of their offseason priority list.
New England also on Wednesday opened the 21-day IR return window for Jake Bailey, setting up a potential late-season comeback for the struggling punter.
