New England Patriots

New England Patriots wide receiver/running back Ty Montgomery has been placed on injured reserve with a knee injury, per ESPN's Field Yates.

Montgomery suffered a knee injury in the team's preseason finale against the Las Vegas Raiders on Aug. 26, but the 29-year-old still appeared in Sunday's season-opening loss to the Miami Dolphins, recording the team's only touchdown.

The Patriots are replacing Montgomery on the 53-man roster with wide receiver Lil'Jordan Humphrey.

Montgomery will miss at least the next four weeks and won't be eligible to return until an Oct. 16 matchup against the Cleveland Browns. He'll miss games against the Pittsburgh Steelers, Baltimore Ravens, Green Bay Packers and Detroit Lions.

The eight-year veteran is in his first season with the Patriots after spending the 2020 and 2021 campaigns with the New Orleans Saints. Last season, he rushed for 44 yards on 15 carries and caught 16 passes for 95 yards in 14 games.

Montgomery began his NFL career with the Packers in 2015 as a third-round pick out of Stanford. He spent three-and-a-half seasons with the franchise, rushing for 849 yards and seven touchdowns in 36 games in addition to catching 97 passes for 827 yards and three scores.

The Packers traded Montgomery to the Baltimore Ravens during the 2018 season. He appeared in six games for the franchise before joining the New York Jets for the 2019 campaign.

Now in New England, Montgomery is behind Damien Harris and Rhamondre Stevenson at running back. He is also behind DeVante Parker, Nelson Agholor, Jakobi Meyers and Kendrick Bourne at wide receiver.

Still, Patriots head coach Bill Belichick likes his versatility, and he was used more than Bourne against the Dolphins.

It's unclear how much playing time Humphrey will see in Montgomery's absence. He spent the last three seasons with the Saints and caught 16 passes for 295 yards and three touchdowns in 18 games.

The Patriots are set to face the Steelers on Sunday at Acrisure Stadium.

New England Patriots quarterback Mac Jones was diagnosed with back spasms after his X-rays came back negative, per Ian Rapoport of NFL Network.

There is reportedly "a chance" Jones plays in his team's Week 2 game against the Pittsburgh Steelers, per Rapoport.

Jones revealed a back injury after the season opener against the Miami Dolphins. He played all 17 games during his rookie campaign.

The 2022 season is figured to be an important one for Jones as he attempts to establish himself as the franchise quarterback for the Patriots, who selected him with the No. 15 pick of the 2021 draft.

This year didn't get off to the best start, with Jones turning it over twice in a 20-7 loss to the Dolphins on Sunday.

The Patriots could now turn toward veteran journeyman Brian Hoyer under center if Jones is sidelined.

They could do worse at backup than the 36-year-old, who has played for the Patriots, Arizona Cardinals, Cleveland Browns, Houston Texans, Chicago Bears, San Francisco 49ers and Indianapolis Colts throughout his career, but developing Jones is a priority for the franchise.

Rookie fourth-round pick Bailey Zappe could also be an option.

New England Patriots quarterback Mac Jones suffered a back injury during Sunday's loss to the Miami Dolphins, per Mark Daniels of the Providence Journal.

Patriots head coach Bill Belichick provided an update on Jones to WWEI 93.7's The Greg Hill Show on Monday:

Yeah, well, we'll see. What I've learned from many years of experience and doing this with so many different players and teams is that there's a lot of variation on where players are right after the game from where they are, let's call it, 12 to 18 hours after the game. So we'll see things are this morning and go from there.

The Patriots selected the 24-year-old with the 15th overall pick in the 2021 NFL draft following his prolific junior season. He threw for 4,500 yards, 41 touchdowns and four interceptions in his first full year as Alabama's starter. His 203.1 passing efficiency rating was the highest ever in a single FBS season at the time.

Many expected Jones to at least open 2021 as the backup to Cam Newton, who re-signed with New England in the offseason.

However, the Patriots released Newton, paving the way for Jones to get the nod in Week 1 against the Dolphins. He had more than earned the job with his performance in the preseason.

His poise during the regular season further justified the Patriots' faith in Jones. He threw for 3,801 yards, 22 touchdowns and 13 interceptions en route to finishing second in the Offensive Rookie of the Year voting.

New England's hopes of dethroning the Buffalo Bills in the AFC East will hinge largely on the performance of Jones in 2022, and he went 21-of-30 for 213 yards, one touchdown and one pick in the opener.

With that in mind, an injury to their starter causes obvious problems for the Patriots. Brian Hoyer's limitations are clear after his many years in the NFL, and rookie Bailey Zappe is unproven at this level.

Neither is an ideal alternative under center.

The weird vibes around the New England Patriots coming out of training camp and the preseason are going to have an impact on the fantasy world this season.

Zack Cox of NESN.com noted it "wouldn't shock" him if Rhamondre Stevenson eventually becomes the No. 1 running back, ahead of Damien Harris, at some point this season.

"The Patriots still have a lot of run-blocking issues to work out," Cox wrote, "but Stevenson showed legit star potential last season and had a good camp."

The combination of Matt Patricia and Joe Judge running the offense doesn't seem to be going well, based on the word out of Patriots camp thus far.

Tom Curran of NBC Sports Boston called the No. 1 offense "distressingly bad" during an Aug. 8 practice.

Head coach Bill Belichick used most of the offensive starters in the Aug. 26 preseason finale against the Las Vegas Raiders. The group went punt-interception-punt-field goal with two three-and-outs in four drives.

Mac Jones went 13-of-21 for 132 yards with no touchdowns and one interception in two preseason starts. Harris only had three carries in the preseason for 18 yards. Stevenson racked up 26 yards on seven carries.

Harris is a difficult player to figure out for fantasy purposes this season. He finished 2021 as the No. 14 running back in PPR leagues, but that ranking was propped up by 15 rushing touchdowns on just 202 carries.

Stevenson was a fourth-round pick by the Patriots in the 2021 draft. The Oklahoma alum played sparingly in the first half of the season, but he finished strong with 470 rushing yards on 98 carries in his final seven games.

Per FantasyPros.com, Harris is currently being drafted as the No. 33 running back (No. 78 overall). Stevenson is the No. 36 running back coming off the board (No. 102 overall).

If you feel so inclined to bet on any Patriots skill player being worth a spot on your fantasy roster, Stevenson might be the safest bet as a potential flex option during the season because of his upside as a receiver out of the backfield.

The New England Patriots will be without rookie wide receiver Tyquan Thornton for at least six weeks after he reportedly had surgery to repair a fractured clavicle.

Per ESPN's Jeremy Fowler, Thornton had the procedure Monday and has a six-to-eight week recovery time, but that "could vary" depending on how it heals and how his body reacclimates to football.

NFL Network's Mike Giardi reported Sunday that Thornton suffered the injury during New England's 20-10 preseason victory over the Carolina Panthers on Aug. 19.

It occurred midway through the second quarter when Thornton caught a pass for 13 yards, but he landed hard on his right shoulder and a Panthers defender came down directly on top of him.

Thornton did stay in immediately after the play but didn't play in the second half. The Patriots eventually ruled him out for the rest of the game in the fourth quarter with what was called a shoulder injury.

Losing Thornton for at least the start of the regular season does take away a key component from New England's offense. The 22-year-old was selected with the No. 50 overall pick in the 2022 NFL draft. He posted the fastest 40 time among all wide receivers at the scouting combine (4.28 seconds) this year.

Speed is something the Patriots have been sorely lacking from their wide receivers for years. Their wideouts did finish a respectable 13th in the NFL in yards after the catch in 2021, but Jakobi Meyers, Kendrick Bourne and Nelson Agholor aren't known for running by cornerbacks.

While there likely will be a period of adjustment for Thornton entering the NFL, his speed on the outside would give the Patriots an extra element to take advantage of as they look to get back to the playoffs.

If his recovery is on the short end of the timetable, Thornton could be back before New England's Week 5 game against the Detroit Lions.

The Patriots open the regular season Sept. 11 against the Miami Dolphins at Hard Rock Stadium. They made the postseason with a 10-7 record last season, losing to the Buffalo Bills, 47-17, in the AFC Wild Card Round.

New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick provided little insight into the possibility of Julian Edelman returning to an NFL field.

"I’ve talked to Julian, I talk to him fairly regularly," Belichick said Monday on The Greg Hill Show. "So, yeah, I don’t know about him talking to Rich Eisen and all that. You’d have to ask Julian about that, but I don’t know."

Edelman retired ahead of the 2021 season, though there was immediate speculation he'd rejoin Tom Brady with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

The 36-year-old acknowledged in an Aug. 16 interview on The Rich Eisen Show he misses the game a bit and entertained the idea of signing with a contender for the stretch run of the regular season:

It certainly seems plausible that a team with championship aspirations would consider adding a player with three Super Bowl rings.

Whatever Edelman is thinking, it's doubtful the typically tight-lipped Belichick will volunteer any new information.

The New England Patriots starters played the first quarter and the start of the second quarter of Friday's preseason game against the Carolina Panthers at Gillette Stadium, and while the defense looked decent, fans were not thrilled with the offense.

Playing against Carolina's second unit from the outset, New England's Mac Jones-led offense went three-and-out on its first two drives of the game before going on a scoring drive to open the second quarter.

The touchdown drive included a 45-yard pass to Nelson Agholor and a rushing score by Ty Montgomery. But other than that, there wasn't too much to rave about in regards to the New England offense.

Fans have expressed concerns about the Patriots offense throughout the summer as it has looked out of sync and disorganized with a combination of Matt Patricia and Joe Judge calling plays.

Neither Judge nor Patricia has an extensive amount of experience running an offense, so the concerns are warranted, especially with how the starting unit looked on Friday against the Panthers.

At one point earlier this month during training camp, Tom E. Curran of NBC Sports Boston wrote that the New England offense was "distressingly bad," and his colleague, Phil Perry, added that it looked "broken."

Time is winding down for the New England offense to figure things out as the Patriots are set to open the 2022 campaign against the revamped Miami Dolphins on Sept. 11.

The New England Patriots might have trouble finding a suitor for veteran wide receiver Nelson Agholor, according to The Athletic's Jeff Howe.

Howe reported Tuesday the Patriots may prefer to deal Agholor but that "the logistics make that unlikely." The wideout would count for nearly $10 million against the salary cap for his next team if he were traded.

On Aug. 11, Pro Football Focus' Doug Kyed reported the Patriots are expected to jettison one of their experienced receivers and that Agholor could be "the prime candidate."

However, Kyed added New England "is optimistic about Agholor's progress this offseason after a disappointing first year in the system."

Reaction to the signing of Agholor was lukewarm at the best of times. Two years was a fair term, but $22 million was a lot to pay a player who has struggled to find consistency across his NFL career.

The skepticism toward the 29-year-old was well founded last season as he caught 37 passes for 473 yards and three touchdowns.

The Patriots tried to augment their passing game during the 2021 offseason by signing Agholor, Kendrick Bourne, Hunter Henry and Jonnu Smith. It's telling they turned around and acquired DeVante Parker from the Miami Dolphins in April and used a second-round pick on Tyquan Thornton.

Agholor is listed behind Parker in the team's unofficial depth chart, and a $14.9 million cap hit is a tough pill to swallow for a player who might be a backup.

Speaking with reporters in May, Agholor said he's not focusing on his contract and the level of expectations it creates.

"I’m here for a reason and I love the opportunity that’s given to me: To be a Patriot. To work hard," he said. "And the best part about it is Year 2 in the Patriots system is when guys really get going. I feel comfortable. I’m excited to have my best season with the Patriots and show why I’m here."

Maybe Agholor's contract could be a blessing in disguise for the Patriots if he winds up sticking around and having a bounce-back campaign in 2022.

The New England Patriots and Carolina Panthers are holding joint-practices this week leading up to their preseason game on Friday, and it didn't take long for tensions to boil over.

The two teams reportedly had two fights in Tuesday's practice, including a huge brawl that resulted in three ejections. According to Mark Daniels of USA Today, a total of five players, three of whom were Patriots, were tossed from the practice.

Per Daniels, the issues between the two teams began early during full-team drills. During the second period, Patriots receiver Kristian Wilkerson began getting into it with some Panthers defensive backs following multiple instances where they held onto his jersey after the whistle was blown.

Wilkerson was reportedly shoved by an unidentified Carolina assistant coach, which was immediately followed by the receiver being "grabbed by multiple Panthers players and later punched." A New England offensive player joined the pile, and then Patriots receiver Kendrick Bourne was then seen "squaring up and throwing punches with another Panthers defensive back."

Wilkerson, Bourne and Panthers safety Kenny Robinson were all kicked out of practice.

Soon after the fracas, Patriots offensive tackle Trent Brown and Panthers defensive end Brian Burns got into a verbal exchange. Not long after that, Patriots center James Ferentz and Panthers defensive tackle Phil Hoskins were seen fighting after the whistle because "it appeared Hoskins slammed Ferentz to the ground." Ferentz and Hoskins were ejected from practice.

"We came here not to fight. We came here to practice," Panthers head coach Matt Rhule said. "It shows maturity in a lot of other guys that it didn’t escalate into a big thing."