Patriots OT Marcus Bryant Exits With Ankle Injury as O-Line Depth Craters
The 2025 seventh-rounder needed help off the field and is out for the rest of the preseason game — the third New England lineman to go down in a week.
Deep-league IDP/roster stash at best; monitor swing-tackle battle.
- Bryant is a 2025 seventh-round pick
- Out for remainder of game with ankle injury
- Needed help getting off the field
- Third Patriots OL hurt in a week
- Ben Brown out for rest of preseason
New England's offensive line just took another hit. Marcus Bryant, the Patriots' 2025 seventh-round pick, went down after a 1-yard Lan Larison run, stayed on the turf, and needed assistance to reach the sideline before being taken to the training room. The team quickly ruled him out for the rest of the game with an ankle injury.
Bryant had started this one at right tackle, and he was in the thick of a real competition — battling Caleb Lomu for the swing-tackle job. Now that battle gets muddier, and the timing couldn't be worse for a unit that keeps losing bodies.
This is the third front-five casualty for the Patriots in about a week. Last week New England watched its top two backup interior linemen disappear: Ben Brown is done for the rest of the preseason with a leg injury, and Andrew Rupcich was waived with an injury settlement after straining his MCL. Bryant's ankle makes it a full-blown depth crisis on the edges and the interior.
There's no timetable yet, and we don't know the severity — "out for the game" is all New England has confirmed. For a rookie-turned-second-year lineman trying to lock down a roster spot, missing reps at exactly the wrong moment can cost you the job even if the ankle checks out fine.
The Fantasy Fallout
Bryant isn't a name you're drafting in any standard fantasy format — offensive linemen never are. But the ripple effects matter. If Lomu wins the swing-tackle role by default and New England's line stays this banged up, expect protection to be shaky early. That's a quiet drag on the Patriots' passing game and a reason to temper enthusiasm for any New England skill players you're considering as sleepers.
For fantasy managers: this is a WATCH situation. Keep an eye on how the swing-tackle competition shakes out and whether the interior depth gets patched via a waiver claim or trade. If the Patriots' line looks like a sieve into Week 1, downgrade the ceiling on their receivers and running backs accordingly — a leaky front five caps everyone's upside.
