Austin Collie re-joins New England Patriots
New England Patriots wide receiver Austin Collie leaves the field after a win over the New Orleans Saints at Gillette Stadium. The Patriots defeated the Saints 30-27. Mandatory Credit: Stew Milne-USA TODAY Sports
The New England Patriots are going into this week’s game against the Cleveland Browns with two significant injury questions at the wide receiver position, as rookie “X” receivers Kenbrell Thompkins and Aaron Dobson are highly questionable. Although he isn’t an “X” receiver at all, Austin Collie is a quality veteran who did some nice things for the Patriots earlier this season in his first stint with the team. A knee injury later, the Patriots cut ties with Collie, though I believe that the play of the rookie receivers in that New Orleans Saints game was the main motivation for the cut.
Bolstering that line of thinking is this report from CSN New England’s Tom E. Curran, as the Patriots have decided to bring back Collie. It means that either one of Thompkins or Dobson will most likely be out this week, and I wouldn’t be surprised at all if both players were held out against the Browns. The Patriots are one of those teams that are cautious with injured rookies, and they can feel much safer resting both players with good depth in the fold in Collie.
He’s an extremely injury-prone player, and it’s a big reason why Collie’s career has been sad to watch. He’s such a talented slot receiver, but his career has been massively derailed by severe concussions and knee injuries. Despite this, he’s remained motivated, and there is no doubt that Collie is a guy we all root for. It’s great to see that he’s back again, especially with the Patriots, since he caught a key pass against the Saints. He didn’t have much time to learn the offense, but he got open and made an important play.