The Patriots placed guard Alijah Vera-Tucker on injured reserve, the team announced Thursday. Pats Pulpit reported the move came in the hours leading up to Thursday night's game against the Chicago Bears. It said the starting left guard will be out a minimum of four games.
Pats Pulpit is the only outlet in our set that names the injury. It said Vera-Tucker, 27, had played 100 percent of the offensive snaps until he sustained a hamstring injury. The feed text cuts off before saying when or how it happened. Pro Football Talk and Yahoo Sports gave only the placement itself. On Reddit, r/nfl credited Adam Schefter with the initial report.
The Patriots also made two other moves. NFL Trade Rumors, citing the team's announcement, said they elevated guard Xavier Newman-Johnson and outside linebacker Benton Whitley from the practice squad to the active roster. Newman-Johnson is the obvious fill-in on the interior line. None of the reporting says who will take Vera-Tucker's starting spot at left guard.
New England played that game without him and lost 30-24 at Soldier Field. The offense still moved the ball: 380 total yards at 7.6 per play, and Drake Maye threw for 321 yards and two touchdowns. Maye was sacked twice and threw one interception. The Patriots were flagged 10 times for 71 yards, were 2-for-7 on third down, and ran only 17 times for 70 yards. The Bears ran 66 plays to New England's 50.
The loss leaves New England 4-3 and second in the AFC East, with a one-game losing streak. It follows wins over the Jets (26-19) and the Raiders (45-17). Our archive has no 2026 snap or game data for Vera-Tucker, so his season line can't be compared with his replacement's. Pats Pulpit's report that he played every offensive snap before the injury indicates how regular a starter he was.
The next game is at Miami on Sunday, Nov. 1. The four-game minimum means he can't return before the Patriots' fourth game after this placement. The reporting gives no further timeline, and no outlet has said whether the injury could end his season.
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