The biggest thing most hope for when it comes to the NFL’s preseason is to see players get through each of these exhibition games unscathed, but unfortunately that isn’t always the case and the Patriots were hit hard Friday night down in Carolina while losing one of their own.
With just over eight minutes to go in the game, fullback James Develin caught a pass from Jimmy Garoppolo for a 10-yard gain, but on the play he was spun down hard by a Panthers defender and hit the turf awkwardly, which saw his right foot get caught underneath him.
As he sat on the field you could see the frustration and agony on his face as the Patriots medical staff came out and attended to him, with many of Develin’s teammates along with head coach Bill Belichick coming over to him before he was finally carted off the field.
Several reports had Develin’s lower leg being placed in an air cast as he was headed to the locker room.
Develin’s loss is significant because he had been a steady presence on the roster, having played in 32 straight NFL games, tied for the fourth longest active streak in the league at his position. His blocking ability along with his pass-catching prowess were two key reasons why he’s been so valuable, and his loss will likely affect the team’s offensive game-planning in 2015 now that it looks like he may be out for an extended period of time.
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Ian Logue is a Seacoast native and owner and senior writer for PatsFans.com, an independent media site covering the New England Patriots and has been running this site in one form or another since 1997.
