Report: Torn hamstring forced Patriots rookie Andrew Stueber to miss training camp

The mystery surrounding New England Patriots offensive lineman Andrews Stueber’s injury status has apparently been solved. According to a report by Pro Football Network’s Aaron Wilson, Stueber is recovering from a torn hamstring suffered earlier during the offseason.

Stueber, 23, originally joined the Patriots as the 245th overall selection in the seventh round of this year’s draft. The Michigan product brought some intriguing versatility and developmental upside to the table, but he was suspiciously absent during the open portion of organized team activities and mandatory minicamp. He later opened training camp on the non-football injury list.

Just earlier this week, as part of New England’s efforts to get below the NFL’s 80-man roster limit, his status was changed from “active” to “reserve”. As a result, he will miss at least the first four weeks of the season on NFI. Obviously, though his recovery will dictate how soon he will return to the field — if at all this year.

Judged by his draft status, Stueber would not have been guaranteed a spot on New England’s 53-man roster even when healthy. He would, however, have offered the team some depth at offensive tackle and guard.

Before joining the Patriots, Stueber saw action at both those spots during his time at the University of Michigan.

After seeing only minimal action in his first three years in Ann Arbor, including a redshirt season due to a torn ACL in 2019, Stueber established himself as a starter along the team’s offensive line in 20202. The 6-foot-6, 325-pound blocker went on to start 20 games over his final two college seasons; he appeared in 34 total games as a Wolverine, starting 22 of them at either right tackle or right guard.