Patriots Defender Reportedly Suffered Serious Injury In Jets Game

The Patriots lost a valuable depth defender to injury Sunday, and he’ll likely be sidelined for the foreseeable future.

The elbow injury that knocked veteran defensive tackle Daniel Ekuale out of New England’s 15-10 win over the New York Jets is believed to be a torn biceps, according to a report Tuesday from ESPN’s Mike Reiss.

Reiss added the Patriots are “(s)till awaiting more tests to confirm” the severity of the injury but “are bracing for the loss” of Ekuale.

Ekuale has been with the Patriots since 2021 when he appeared in seven games as an elevated practice squadder. The 29-year-old played in all 15 games last season, missing two due to a suspension. He logged 53 defensive snaps across three appearances this season before suffering his injury in the second quarter of Sunday’s victory at MetLife Stadium.

The Patriots also lost starting D-tackle Davon Godchaux to an ankle injury one play earlier, with both sitting out the rest of the game. There were no updates on Godchaux’s condition as of Tuesday morning.

Those injuries left New England thin up front, with Lawrence Guy, Christian Barmore, Sam Roberts and ends Deatrich Wise and Keion White rounding out the D-line depth chart. The Patriots might need to make an addition there ahead of Sunday’s road matchup with the Dallas Cowboys.

One potential option: Carl Davis, whom the Patriots surprisingly released during final roster cuts. He currently is on the Seattle Seahawks’ practice squad. The Patriots also have D-lineman Jeremiah Pharms on their own P-squad.