Patriots place guard Mike Onwenu on injured reserve with broken ankle

A season-altering roll-up

The New England Patriots placed right guard Mike Onwenu on injured reserve on Tuesday, four days after Pittsburgh linebacker T.J. Watt rolled up on his right ankle while sacking quarterback Drake Maye, the team announced. Onwenu could not put weight on the leg and was carted off during the first half of New England's 20-3 win over Pittsburgh on Sunday; a league source told ESPN that X-rays showed a fracture. Along with the Onwenu move, New England signed punter Mitch Wishnowsky to the 53-man roster from the practice squad and added tight end Tanner Conner to the practice squad, according to the club's official transactions log.

Under NFL rules, a player placed on injured reserve must sit a minimum of four games before he is eligible to return. That makes the earliest possible date for Onwenu's comeback Week 7, at home against the Chicago Bears, meaning he will miss this week's game at Jacksonville plus divisional matchups against the Buffalo Bills on October 4 and the New York Jets on October 18.

One of the league's most durable linemen

Onwenu, 28, was a sixth-round pick out of Michigan in the 2020 NFL draft, 182nd overall, and earned a spot on the Pro Football Writers Association's All-Rookie team after starting all 16 games as a rookie. He signed a three-year, $57 million extension with New England in March 2024 and started at right guard in Super Bowl LX, a 29-13 loss to the Seattle Seahawks in February. Sunday's injury came in his 92nd career start and ended a run of exceptional availability: from 2022 through 2025 he never played less than 93 percent of New England's offensive snaps, including 1,082 snaps, 98.9 percent of the offense's plays, last season, The Boston Globe reported.

Vrabel searches for the right combination up front

Veteran Greg Van Roten finished Sunday's game at right guard in Onwenu's place and is the presumptive starter going forward. Coach Mike Vrabel said this week the team is also weighing whether to move rookie first-round pick Caleb Lomu, who has worked mostly at tackle in camp, inside to guard.

"We've just got to make sure that we have the best five available, and then the other three guys that are versatile on game day," Vrabel said, according to a transcript posted by the team. Asked directly whether Onwenu's ankle was broken, Vrabel did not confirm the specific diagnosis but did not dispute it either.

"Mike hurt his ankle. I think you guys could see that on the TV," Vrabel said. "I don't think he'll be available here in the short term, so I wouldn't anticipate him being out there here in the next few weeks."

The line is not the only unit dealing with fallout from Sunday's game. Defensive lineman Dre'Mont Jones did not finish the win over Pittsburgh because of a shoulder injury, and defensive back Dell Pettus was also evaluated for an ankle problem, injuries Vrabel addressed in the same press conference, according to Boston.com. A NBC Sports report on the Onwenu injury noted it landed on an afternoon when several Patriots were banged up, adding urgency to Tuesday's roster shuffle.

What comes next

New England hosts Jacksonville this week and will not face the same opponent twice before Onwenu's four-game window closes, giving Van Roten, and possibly Lomu, an extended look protecting Maye through a stretch that includes both AFC East road trips. Onwenu's move was one of several roster-altering injuries logged around the league the same day; the NFL.com news roundup for Tuesday also listed the Falcons placing cornerback A.J. Terrell on injured reserve and the Packers losing Zach Baker-Bewele for the season to a torn patellar tendon. The Patriots have not set a target return date for Onwenu beyond the four-game minimum.