Morgan Moses (knee) is questionable to return

Moses limped off the field in the first quarter and immediately left for the locker room. He was briefly listed as questionable to return but managed to get back on the field in the second quarter.

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.

Moses went down early, but the Patriots waited until midway through the second half to rule him out. The move comes after LG Alijah Vera-Tucker was ruled out earlier with a hamstring issue. Not ideal, to put it mildly. Rookie first-rounder Caleb Lomu is finishing the game in Moses’ place.

Patriots OLB Anfernee Jennings (illness) and OT Morgan Moses (illness) resumed practicing in full. Patriots OT Vederian Lowe (illness) remained sidelined, and did DT Khyiris Tonga (foot). All ill players have a chance to play in the Patriots’ Wild Card Round game against the Chargers.

Bradbury joins OLB Anfernee Jennings, OT Vederian Lowe, and OT Morgan Moses as players out with illness on Wednesday. The only non-illness absence on the active roster for the Pats was DT Khyiris Tonga (foot). Sitting with illness this early in the week generally does not mean the players will miss the game, but it is certainly a situation to keep an eye on for the Pats’ offensive line heading into the Wild Card round against the Chargers. Tonga is a key run stuffer that will have a couple more chances to practice ahead of Sunday’s game.

The Patriots already lost starting left guard Jared Wilson to an injury on the first drive, so this would be a big blow to their offensive line. The Bengals have been able to get pressure on Drake Maye often to start this game, and that could continue if Moses can’t come back.

The last thing Drake Maye needed was to lose one of the bookends to his offensive line. Moses was brought in as a free agent to help improve one of the league’s worst lines in 2024. Though the veteran tackle is a few years past his prime, he was still set to be a stabilizing force for the unit. Losing Moses would be a tough blow for a New England offense that already came out flat-footed in Week 1.

According to ESPN’s Mike Reiss, Moses had surgery to help correct a knee injury he suffered in Week 3 of last season. Moses missed two games as a result of the injury, but played through it for much of the year. In March, it was reported that Moses “was given a clean bill of health” by the Jets shortly before the team allowed him to hit free agency. Moses signed a three-year, $24 million contract with the Patriots this offseason and said he’s “just pacing things out” when asked about his limited participation in OTAs thus far. For now, this seems like a non-issue as training camp nears, but it will be something worth monitoring if the 34-year-old continues to be limited late into the summer.

Per NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo, the deal is worth up to $28.5 million. The Patriots fielded arguably the worst offensive line in the league last year, so it’s no surprise to see them spending big to improve that unit. Protecting Drake Maye has to be a priority for the rebuilding Pats this offseason. Even at 34 years old, Moses is a solid right tackle option for a team desperate to improve both bookends to their offensive line.

As Garafolo notes, Moses played through a Grade 2 MCL sprain last year. Moses missed some time early in the year because of the injury but ultimately pushed through it for much of the remainder of the season. Moses will officially be a free agent next week unless the Jets make a last-second move to keep him around. Even at 34 years old, the career right tackle should have some suitors on the open market.