Longtime center David Andrews went down with a shoulder injury in the New England Patriots’ crushing defeat to the San Francisco 49ers in Week 4.
After getting multiple opinions, the Patriots’ captain will need surgery to fix the issue, but his decision to do so would mean the end of his 2024 season, per MassLive’s Mark Daniels.
That leaves Andrews with two options: get the surgery now and return healthier next season, or put it off until the end of the season and hope it won’t compromise his chances of playing in 2025.
The veteran offensive lineman is weighing both options as the Patriots turn the page to a divisional showdown with the Miami Dolphins on Sunday.
David Andrews will need surgery for his shoulder, per source. If he has surgery, his season will be over.
At the moment, Andrews is trying to see if he can play through the injury. That decision comes down to if it'll hurt his ability to play next season.
— Mark Daniels (@ByMarkDaniels) October 2, 2024
Andrews doesn’t want to be a liability to the team. So if it’s a situation where the injury is too painful to play through effectively, he’ll likely get the surgery and rehab for a 2025 return.
It’s a devastating blow to the Patriots considering all of the struggles they’ve already faced along the offensive front. They’re either getting a less than 100-percent version of Andrews or not getting him at all.
