David Andrews has made his decision.
The New England Patriots' veteran center is expected to have surgery to address a shoulder injury he suffered in Sunday's loss to the San Francisco 49ers and likely will be placed on season-ending injury reserve, head coach Jerod Mayo confirmed Wednesday. NFL Media's Ian Rapoport first reported that Andrews was expected to have surgery.
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Andrews reportedly was mulling whether to have surgery on his shoulder now or try to play through the injury, but it appears the latter option is off the table. The 32-year-old does hope to return in 2025, according to MassLive's Mark Daniels.
Andrews' injury is a massive blow to an already-banged up Patriots offensive line. Backup center Nick Leverett, who replaced Andrews last Sunday, is expected to start in his place. Leverett currently is the only other center on the active roster, as second-year center Jake Andrews is on season-long injured reserve due to a torn meniscus.
In addition to Andrews' injury, Patriots offensive tackles Vederian Lowe and Caedan Wallace are dealing with ailments as well. Recent signing Demontrey Jacobs started at left tackle against the 49ers, becoming the fourth left tackle to start for New England in four games.
The Patriots' offensive line has allowed the highest pressure rate in the NFL this season (47.4 percent), and they'll have a hard time addressing that issue with their team captain and longest-tenured player now lost for the season.
New England hosts the 1-3 Miami Dolphins at Gillette Stadium on Sunday.
