Sportsnaut
Ja’Lynn Polk has not had the best summer, and it could potentially get worse soon. The receiver has been banged up during the offseason program, and he was needing a big preseason to stick around in Foxboro.
Unfortunately for Polk, he suffered a shoulder injury in the preseason opener against the Commanders and did not return to the game. Polk missed the following practices on Sunday and Monday as well, and Mike Vrabel confirmed on Monday that Polk will not travel with the team to Minnesota.
The Patriots are heading to Minnesota for two days of joint practices before playing their second preseason game against the team on Saturday. It would have been nice for Polk to be out there and have a chance to impress considering all the valuable time he’s already missed.
Instead, the receiver will try to get healthy and recoup before roster cuts are made. If Polk’s injury is worse than initially thought, though, the receiver could end up going on injured reserve. The injured reserve rules were amended this offseason, which could help the Patriots out.
Previously, if a player was added to IR before the regular season begins, they would have to miss the entire season. Now, each team can designate two players to return from IR who were added to the list before cut day. In this scenario, Polk would have to miss the first four games, but the team could then choose to activate him and release someone from the roster.
Either way, this opens up more opportunities for the rest of the receivers. Stefon Diggs, Mack Hollins, Kyle Williams, and DeMario Douglas are locks, while Kayshon Boutte has to be viewed as the favorite to grab the fifth spot. Assuming the team keeps six, Efton Chism III, Javon Baker, and Kendrick Bourne are likely competing for one spot.
Baker starred in camp, and although he didn’t record a catch in the preseason opener, he impressed Vrabel in other ways. Chism, meanwhile, led the team in catches and yards, and may be hard to keep off the main roster.
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