FOXBOROUGH - For the first time in his football life, Will Campbell was forced to miss games. The Patriots’ left tackle sprained his MCL in the win over Cincinnati, and the team quickly put him on injured reserve, meaning he was sidelined for four games (at the bare minimum).
“I was miserable,” Campbell said. “It obviously isn’t fun, but it’s a part of this game. And just tried to attack the rehab process and get better.”
But Campbell made great strides in his recovery over the last couple of weeks, even traveling with the team for both of their last two games. He requested that; Mike Vrabel explained earlier this week that it’s not necessarily common.
“I think Will cares deeply about this team and the players on it,” he said on Monday.
“It definitely gives you some time to think, especially with this being the first time this ever happened to me,” Campbell said. “I’ve just really tried to keep my [mind] straight, because it is tough watching from the sidelines or at home.”
His return to practice drew a large media contingent around his locker (he was listed as a full participant), and Morgan Moses cued up his phone, playing The Undertaker’s theme song while announcing Campbell’s height and weight. That drew laughter from the rest of the offensive line.
“Hopefully, he still knows how to get in a football stance, so we’ll see how it goes,” Moses deadpanned. “No, it’s going to be great, man, in what he brings to the table. You know the toughness, the DNA of the offensive line. When we talk about identity, and when Vrabel preaches identity, he’s the definition of that.”
“We’re definitely excited to get him back,” Garrett Bradbury added. “I don’t think anyone’s more excited than he is. He’s been itching the last couple of weeks, wanting to be out there, and we’re glad he’s healthy and glad he’s glad he’s healed up. But he’s definitely ready to get back.”
In his place, fourth-year pro Vederian Lowe did a fine job of holding down that spot, and some of the lowest pressure rates the offense has faced as a whole this season came with Lowe in the lineup (for what it’s worth). But it would be nice to get Campbell back in time for the regular season finale to kick off some of the rust.
“Yeah, it's awesome to see Big Willy [Will Campbell] back out there,” smiled Drake Maye. “I'm glad. I just want to appreciate V-Lowe for what he did. Credit to V-Lowe, stepping in, stepping up, not blinking at all, just trusting in his work, his preparation."
Meanwhile, Milton Williams is in a similar position. However, the veteran defensive tackle didn’t get activated for the Jets game, the first game he was available. Perhaps that’s a sign of what’s to come for Campbell, although Williams told us he was still figuring out what he could do on that injured ankle (high-ankle sprain).
“I didn’t have as much confidence as I do this week,” he admitted. “Last week was still a little shaky on just trusting it. Feeling better this week. I’ll see if we’re able to go on Sunday.”
Williams has remained a presence in the locker room during media availability periods and has been a full participant in his rehab, meetings, and so forth, meeting all the requirements and then some.
“Probably learned that I love football more than I originally thought. It’s been hard watching,” Williams said. “I’ve watched all my games from this season back like three times. Just bored. Got nothing to do. Like, ‘Man, I got to get back to this player that I was when we started the season.’ That’s been my mindset getting back, getting back healthy and just trying to come back and help this team win games.”
If he can, Williams can provide a necessary jolt for a defense that’s struggling to impact quarterbacks in non-blitz situations, and one that has gone to the dogs against the run (and may not have Khyiris Tonga again this week with his foot injury).
Since week 9, the nerd numbers tell a concerning tale about this defense:
- 21st in DVOA
- 32 in EPA per run
- 30th in rushing success rate
- 30th in rushing DVOA
- 32nd in yards before contact (a whopping 2.29 yards)
- 30th in yards per rush
- 30th in run stuff rate
- 30th in sack rate
- 30th in INTs per attempt
“We’ll see,” Williams said of his availability. “I’m feeling better than last week, I’ll say that, but we’ll see.”
Williams was listed as a limited participant in practice for a second straight day, while Campbell was full-go.