The New England Patriots placed linebackers Josh Uche and Tashawn Bower on injured reserve Thursday, according to the NFL transaction wire, ending their seasons.
Both had been sidelined for consecutive practices after exiting Monday night against the Buffalo Bills at Gillette Stadium.
Uche suffered a foot injury in New England’s 38-9 loss to Buffalo, while Bower suffered a neck injury in addition to a concussion. The pair started at inside and outside linebacker, respectively, in the final game on December’s calendar.
Uche, 22, arrived in the second round of the 2020 draft out of Michigan. Pick No. 60 overall began his rookie campaign on injured reserve and returned to register nine tackles to go with one sack through nine appearances. The 6-foot-3, 245-pound Uche saw 178 snaps on defense and 46 snaps on defense over that span for New England.
Bower, 25, joined the Patriots’ practice squad last fall after originally entering the league with the Minnesota Vikings as an undrafted free agent in 2017. The 6-foot-5, 250-pound LSU product twice served as a standard elevation before signing to the 53-man roster in November. Bower checked into seven games and made three starts on the edges. He totaled 11 tackles and a pass deflection through 137 snaps on defense and 35 snaps on special teams.
The Patriots host the New York Jets for the season finale Sunday at 1 p.m. ET.