The Patriots’ starting center has landed on injured reserve with the designation to return, according to Brian McIntyre, who tweets that New England used the IR-DTR slot on Bryan Stork, who is suffering from a concussion. With the newly-created roster opening, the Pats signed cornerback Justin Coleman off the Seahawks’ practice squad.
Stork, 24, emerged as the Patriots’ starting center just four weeks into his rookie season in 2014, and finished the year there. Pro Football Focus’ grades (subscription required) suggested that Stork’s performance was somewhat up and down, but most of his worst performances came during the first half of the season.
Now that Stork has landed on injured reserve with the designation to return, he won’t be eligible to practice for six weeks, and he’ll have to wait at least eight weeks to return to game action. In the interim, Ryan Wendell and rookie David Andrews look like the strongest candidates to replace him.
By our count, the Pats become the ninth NFL team to use their short-term IR spot before the season gets underway. To catch up on how other clubs have used their IR-DTR slots, be sure to check out our tracker.