Multiple reports flooded in after news of Jacoby Brissett‘s thumb injury broke, but as the most recent reports have indicated, it doesn’t sound as though the Patriots quarterback will require surgery. In fact, the “sense” is that New England expects both Brissett and fellow signal-caller Jimmy Garoppolo to be available for its Week 4 contest against the Bills, according to Ed Werder of ESPN.com (Twitter link).
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Garoppolo suffered a sprained AC joint in his throwing shoulder on Sunday in the team’s 31-24 win over Miami. After Garoppolo was taken out by Kiko Alonso‘s hit, Brissett was put in the game for the first time in his NFL career. The third-round rookie got the job done, completing 6-of-9 passes as he guided New England the rest of the way, and then led the Patriots to a 27-0 victory over the Texans on Thursday night.
Before succumbing to injury, the 24-year-old Garoppolo had been excellent, completing 42-of-60 passes for 498 yards, four touchdowns and no interceptions in wins over the Cardinals and Dolphins. At least one report suggested that the Patriots were pressuring Garoppolo to quickly return to the field — despite the fact that he reportedly couldn’t lift his arm — and he’s presumably get the start against Buffalo if healthy. Tom Brady, of course, will return in Week 5 to start against the Browns.
It’s still possible that the Patriots could look to sign a quarterback before their next game, and the club did audition free agents T.J. Yates and Sean Renfree this week. However, team president Jonathan Kraft recently explained that New England doesn’t want to add another QB — and thus, cut another player from elsewhere on the roster — unless it absolutely has to.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.