Had the New England Patriots returned to the practice fields on Tuesday, a pair of veteran starters on the perimeter would not have.
Wide receiver DeVante Parker and cornerback Jalen Mills projected as non-participants to begin prep for the reigning AFC champion Cincinnati Bengals. But an additional six members of the active roster projected as limited.
Here’s the initial injury report leading up to Christmas Eve’s 1 p.m. ET kickoff at Gillette Stadium.
DID NOT PARTICIPATE
Patriots
- WR DeVante Parker (concussion)
- CB Jalen Mills (groin)
Bengals
- OT La’el Collins (veteran rest)
- DT D.J. Reader (veteran rest)
- DE Sam Hubbard (calf)
Parker and Mills had been ruled out on the final injury report ahead of last Sunday’s last-second loss to the Las Vegas Raiders. The wideout entered the NFL’s concussion protocol midway through December versus the Arizona Cardinals, while the corner’s groin injury has kept him sidelined for three consecutive matchups — despite two partial practices on the University of Arizona campus. As for Cincinnati, a walkthrough went on without a trio on Tuesday.
LIMITED PARTICIPATION
Patriots
- RB Rhamondre Stevenson (ankle)
- RB Damien Harris (thigh)
- WR Jakobi Meyers (shoulder)
- OT Yodny Cajuste (calf/back)
- CB Jack Jones (knee)
- LS Joe Cardona (ankle)
Bengals
- WR Tee Higgins (hamstring)
- WR Trent Taylor (hamstring)
- TE Hayden Hurst (calf)
- DE Trey Hendrickson (wrist)
- CB Mike Hilton (knee)
- CB Cam Taylor-Britt (shoulder)
- CB Jalen Davis (thumb)
No new names resided among the hypothetically limited for the Patriots. Each had been questionable to play at Allegiant Stadium. Four did to varying degrees. Yet Harris was downgraded to out on the eve of the 4:05 p.m. ET kickoff due to the thigh injury he sustained five carries in on Thanksgiving. And joining the running back among the inactives was one of the Joneses at cornerback. The fourth-round rookie out of Arizona State exited eight defensive snaps in the week prior due to a knee injury.
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