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The New England Patriots have released their first injury report for Sunday’s game against the Arizona Cardinals and it’s surprising to see which players are- and are not- listed.
Here's the Patriots practice report. Danny Amendola isn't on it and is a full participant. Same with Julian Edleman pic.twitter.com/pxqTOfjDcF
— Mark Daniels (@MarkDanielsPJ) September 7, 2016
There are a few unsurprising names. We knew Jonathan Cooper was battling plantar fasciitis, while Shaq Mason has a broken hand, and Malcolm Mitchell suffered that visually gruesome elbow injury in the preseason. We saw Nate Solder tweak something against the Giants. Chris Hogan is a full participant, but he’s listed for the injury he suffered earlier in the preseason.
There are two questions that have been answered, too. Rob Gronkowski left practice with what is now officially a hamstring injury and could explain why the Patriots opted to retain four tight ends if they want to monitor his snaps. Shea McClellin suffered an elbow injury in the first preseason game and is slowly working his way back.
Trey Flowers is a surprise on the list since he’s looked excellent this preseason. He’s also listed with a shoulder injury, which is the same injury that landed him on the injured reserve last season, so I wonder if that’s just a lingering question mark for the team.
The absence of wide receivers Julian Edelman and Danny Amendola is really shocking. Edelman is returning from a broken foot that required surgery and had a minor scare earlier this preseason.
Amendola literally just practiced for the first time, so the fact that he’s not listed is head-scratching. Has he been healthy this whole time?
It would appear that the coaching staff considers the receiver corps to be healthy enough to go in week 1. I’m interested to see how they all contribute.
Another player that doesn’t show up on the list is edge defender Jabaal Sheard, which is a great sign for a player that suffered an MCL sprain. Hopefully he can jump right into the rotation against the Cardinals.