Dominique Easley Misses Another Patriots Practice; Joe Vellano Absent

The Patriots were missing their first round pick defensive tackle Dominique Easley from practice for the second straight day. Signs are pointing to him being inactive against the Dolphins this Sunday. The Patriots were also missing practice squad defensive tackle Joe Vellano.

Easley missed time because of the current status of his knees. It's clear that the full season has been putting some stress on the rookie's legs as he's been missing a lot of time as of late. The Herald's Jeff Howe reported that the team is even considering putting Easley on the injured reserve to allow him to fully rest up for next season.

The Patriots want to avoid any further deterioriation in his knee and they might be better off having him sit out for the rest of the regular season so he can fully rest up. New England doesn't want to have a situation similar to Aaron Dobson's injury last season, who returned to play and hurt himself, setting up a tumultuous off-season.

Easley's status will be one to watch moving forward. He has primarily been used in pass rushing situations.