Patriots Rumors: David Andrews Facing Huge Dilemma With Injury

Patriots center David Andrews reportedly has a big decision to make.

Andrews sustained a shoulder injury in New England's road loss to the San Francisco 49ers last Sunday and initial follow-ups indicated the ailment was serious. The longtime Patriots captain reportedly sought out "multiple medical opinions" on his injury and those consultations left Andrews with two options, neither of which were favorable.

"David Andrews will need surgery for his shoulder, per source," MassLive's Mark Daniels posted to X on Wednesday morning. "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.

"Basically, Andrews' decision comes down to when to have surgery. If he plays, and it gets worse, it could cost him 2025. If he has the procedure now, it'll cost him the rest of 2024."

The injury bug has not been kind to the Patriots early in the season, particularly to the team's leaders. Fellow captains Ja'Whaun Bentley and Kyle Dugger also are banged up, as the former is out for the rest of the season and the latter is expected to miss time due to an ankle issue.

Nick Leverett replaced Andrews at Levi's Stadium and the 27-year-old would be in line to be New England's new starting center if the two-time Super Bowl champion undergoes season-ending surgery. The Patriots don't have any depth at the position beyond Leverett, though, so a roster move likely is on the horizon.