The No. 29 overall pick in the 2022 draft suffered a knee injury on Sunday.
Cole Strange’s 2023 season has come to an end with three weeks remaining.
The New England Patriots placed the starting left guard on injured reserve Monday afternoon, according to the transaction wire.
Strange, 25, had been carted off the field in the second quarter of Sunday’s 27-17 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs at Gillette Stadium. He was subsequently downgraded to out due to a left knee injury as rookie Atonio Mafi stepped on in his place.
Since arriving in the first round of the 2022 NFL draft at No. 29 overall, Strange has started all 29 of his appearances for New England. The Chattanooga product suffered a knee injury early on training camp and missed September’s season opener. He would later be sidelined for the initial three games of October due to a knee issue before returning.
“The more he’s been able to stay on the field, the better he’s gotten,” Patriots head coach Bill Belichick said during his Monday video conference. “I think he’s played better through the more recent weeks of the season. He missed quite a bit of time there early in the year in training camp, which slowed him down. But I think he’s been playing his best football lately.”
Strange’s 565 snaps rank fourth among Patriots offensive linemen this campaign, behind rookie right guard Sidy Sow, center and captain David Andrews as well as flexed-out right tackle Mike Onwenu.
The organization claimed quarterback Nathan Rourke off waivers from the Jacksonville Jaguars on Monday, requiring a corresponding move to make room on the 53-man roster.
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