Keene (knee) recently underwent season-ending surgery to address a meniscus injury, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports.
The Patriots placed Keene on the preseason PUP list with an undisclosed injury before training camp kicked off, and the aforementioned procedure will send him to injured reserve for the entirety of the 2021 campaign. According to Rapoport, Keene had a similar surgery during his time at Virginia Tech, and he also spent time on IR last season with a knee issue. In any case, the 2020 third-rounder won't be a part of the Patriots offense this fall, leaving tight end to be covered by newcomers Jonnu Smith and Hunter Henry (as expected) and fellow second-year player Devin Asiasi.