Patriots’ Trent Brown Reveals Reason For Training Camp Limitations

FOXBORO, Mass. — Trent Brown was a limited training camp participant for the seventh consecutive day Monday.

After practice, he explained why.

Brown revealed on Day 11 of camp that he’s dealing with an injury that has prevented him from fully participating in preseason practices.

“I’m getting better,” Brown said. “Doing everything I can to get back out here with my team.”

He added: “It’s definitely frustrating from a personal standpoint. That’s all I can speak on. But like I said, I’m doing everything I can to get back on the field.”

Brown was full-go in the first four camp practices, manning his usual spot at left tackle, but has been limited since Day 5. He increased his participation level Monday but has yet to take a competitive team-period rep in a fully padded practice. Brown also sat out 1-on-1 drills.

“I’m listening to the training staff and doing everything that’s asked of me so I can get back out here and get healthy,” said Brown, who appeared in every game last season and started all but one at left tackle. “… I wish I could be out here every day. I wish I didn’t miss a day.”

Asked whether his limited status was at all related to his contract, Brown laughed and replied: “Not at all.” The 30-year-old is set to earn $4 million in salary, plus up to an additional $5.25 million in potential incentives, in the final year of his current deal.

The nature of Brown’s injury was unclear as of Monday afternoon, but the Boston Herald’s Andrew Callahan reported it is “minor” and that the Patriots are “taking serious caution given the state of the offensive tackle position.”

Riley Reiff and Conor McDermott have been New England’s top options at left and right tackle, respectively, in Brown’s absence, with Andrew Stueber and rookie Sidy Sow rounding out the depth chart. Veteran tackle Calvin Anderson is on the non-football injury list and has yet to suit up for a training camp practice.

Reiff, McDermott and Anderson all began the 2022 season as backups, and Stueber and Sow have yet to play their first NFL snaps.

Brown said he’s “absolutely” hopeful that he’ll be healthy in time for the Patriots’ regular-season opener against the Philadelphia Eagles.

“Even though I’m not practicing, I’m still doing everything I can outside of here to try to prepare for that,” Brown said. “But there’s nothing like full-speed reps.”

Injuries have been a real issue for the Patriots’ offensive line as a whole this summer. Right guard Mike Onwenu remains on the physically unable to perform list following offseason ankle surgery; left guard Cole Strange has not practiced since suffering an apparent knee/leg in the first padded practice; and center David Andrews missed practice Sunday before returning Monday.

Since Day 5 of camp, the Patriots have operated without at least three of their preferred O-line starters in every practice.

“We do a lot of work outside of just practice and just hanging around one another,” Brown said. “I think it’s going to be a plug-and-play situation, next-man-up mentality. I feel we’ll be fine.”