The New England Patriots will be without starting center David Andrews for the rest of the season as he recovers from an injury.
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According to head coach Jerod Mayo, Andrews will undergo season-ending surgery to repair a significant shoulder injury.
"I know a lot of you guys are wondering about Dave Andrews — it's already out there," Mayo said to start his Wednesday press conference. "It's going to require surgery, and he will probably go on (Injured Reserve) and be done for the season.
"...It's tough. One thing about Dave, the first word I would just say is 'Toughness.' He's a guy who's been a captain here, he has great leadership ability, he's tough, he's able to communicate across the front. It's definitely a huge loss."
Mayo continued and said that he fully expects Andrews to be around the building after undergoing surgery and that the veteran player could be a future coach at some point in time.
For now, however, backup Nick Leverett will move into the starting center role. He will take on additional snaps while replacing Andrews and trying to protect quarterback Jacoby Brissett.
"Nick, he can do it, he's proved he can do it," Mayo said about Leverett.
Andrews, now in his ninth NFL season, joined the Patriots as an undrafted free agent in 2015. He appeared in 14 games as a rookie and started 11 of them due to injuries to the other centers. He has since remained the full-time starter for the AFC East team.
The lone exception was the 2019 season, which he missed after being diagnosed with a pulmonary embolism.
Andrews has started 121 games for New England. He has celebrated wins in Super Bowls LI and LIII.
The Patriots will now have to move forward in Mayo's first season as head coach without Andrews in the lineup, which will not be a simple task.
The team kicked off the season by defeating the Cincinnati Bengals 16-10. This low-scoring win was one that Mayo said was not sustainable. He noted that teams struggle to win games in which they score fewer than 21 points.
This has proven true for the Patriots. Since this win against the Bengals, they have lost 23-20 to the Seahawks, 24-3 to the Jets, and 30-13 to the 49ers. Next up are the AFC East rival Dolphins, who are also 1-3.
