Patriots lose LG Vera-Tucker to hamstring injury

The Patriots will also be without RG Ben Brown (knee). The Bears’ defense is not an elite unit, but losing two starting guards is rough. Backups Matt Pryor and Walter Rouse will start instead. The Patriots listed RT Morgan Moses (foot) as questionable.

Matt Pryor and Walter Rouse stepped in for the two guards towards the end of last week’s offensive line apocalypse and would likely be in line to start in Week 7. Neither Vera-Tucker nor Brown practiced on Monday or Tuesday.

Vera-Tucker’s deal is worth “up to” $48 million. The former No. 14 overall pick played at every offensive line position other than center while on his rookie contract, though most of his reps have come at the two guard spots. He most recently started all 15 games of his 2024 campaign at right guard. Vera-Tucker was supposed to play out his fifth-year option with the Jets in 2025, but a torn tricep in practice just before Week 1 ended his season before it began. AVT has a lengthy injury history. He has only played more than seven games in two-of-five years. On the other hand, he has generally played well when healthy, and the Pats needed to keep adding talent to their offensive line.

This confirms what both Schefter and the NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport had been reporting for the past day. AVT suffered the triceps injury during Tuesday’s practice and has been undergoing various tests to confirm the need for surgery ever since. Vera-Tucker was set to play 2025 on his fifth-year option but will now head to free agency after spending the entire season on injured reserve. Vera-Tucker has ended three of the past four seasons on injured reserve and has appeared in just 43-of-85 possible games since entering the league in 2021. Even with a checkered injury history, his play should earn him a healthy contract on the open market.

This was expected after ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported the torn triceps yesterday. Vera-Tucker was seeking a second opinion to confirm that season-ending surgery was necessary. It appears as though that is the case. The Jets will place him on injured reserve once the news is official. The Jets will likely move center Joe Tippmann to AVT’s spot and replace Tippmann with Josh Myers. For a team built on establishing a ball-control ground game, an early offensive line injury is not what Jets fans wanted to see ahead of Week 1.

Per Schefter, AVT is getting a second opinion to confirm that season-ending surgery is necessary. Barring a surprise, Vera-Tucker appears to be done for the year. He should be placed on injured reserve later this week. Vera-Tucker was set to be an integral part of a Jets offensive line built for pounding the rock. Now they will be down a starting offensive lineman and a standout from training camp just days before the start of the season. Vera-Tucker was set to play on his fifth-year option in 2025, meaning he will be an unrestricted free agent next offseason.

Vera-Tucker’s 2025 season could be over before it begins after sustaining an arm injury days before the Jets’ Week 1 opener against the Steelers. Vera-Tucker missed much of the 2022 and 2023 seasons due to injuries before returning and playing 15 games for the Jets in 2024. The Athletic’s Zack Rosenblatt said Vera-Tucker “was a standout in camp, dominant in the run game and appeared to be finally fully healthy” headed into the regular season. His injury is a massive blow to the Jets offense, expected to be predicated on the run. Pro Football Focus graded Vera-Tucker as the 33rd best run blocking offensive lineman in the NFL last season out of 148 qualifying players. This news is certainly a blow to Breece Hall and Braelon Allen, and perhaps the whole New York offense.

Ulbrich said the team is hopeful Vera-Tucker can suit up this Sunday against the Jaguars in a meaningless game for both teams. Vera-Tucker could be an important addition to keep Aaron Rodgers upright and force feeding the ball to Garrett Wilson and Davante Adams against a terrible Jags defense.

Vera-Tucker, RG John Simpson (groin) and RT Morgan Moses (knee) all practiced in full on Friday. While Vera-Tucker and Moses are technically questionable, they have good odds of suiting up.

The Jets are dealing with a plethora of injury issues, and also placed Allen Lazard and Leki Fotu on injured reserve earlier Thursday. With Mosley out, Chazz Surratt should see the bulk of snaps at his linebacker position with Surratt playing through a heel injury.