New England Patriots longtime center David Andrews is expected to undergo season-ending surgery for the shoulder injury he sustained in the Week 4 loss to the San Francisco 49ers.
NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reported the news on Wednesday.
Losing Andrews is devastating for the Patriots. He’s a longtime locker room leader and one of the best offensive players on the roster. It stings even more considering how badly the offensive line has struggled this season.
Things could get significantly worse without Andrews anchoring a unit composed of mostly backups. With that said, Andrews opting to get the surgery now would give him a chance to return healthy in 2025, if he wants to continue playing.
#Patriots center and captain David Andrews is expected to have surgery to repair a significant shoulder injury and will likely be placed on season-ending Injured Reserve, sources say.
One of the NFL’s toughest players, if Andrews could possibly go, he would. Brutal reality. pic.twitter.com/LMRkzQUWut
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) October 2, 2024
Veteran Nick Leverett will likely get the nod to start at center for the rest of the season for the Patriots. He had some snap miscues during the preseason, but he seemed to have cleaned that up in the three quarters he played against the 49ers.
One has to wonder if Andrews’ injury will add to the Patriots’ hesitance to hand the reins over to rookie quarterback Drake Maye as a starter.
