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| For the second consecutive season, Patriots cornerback Ras-I Dowling's season has come to a premature end due to injury. (US Presswire) |
Someday, Ras-I Dowling is going to reach the midway point of the season healthy and on an active roster.
That day hasn’t come.
The New England Patriots placed the second-year cornerback on injured reserve Friday with a thigh injury, effectively ending his season for the second consecutive year. Last season, he was shutdown on Oct. 29 for hip surgery after appearing in two games.
The 33rd pick in the 2011 draft out of Virginia, Dowling has appeared in eight games and recorded 10 tackles during his two years in the league. He’s played a total of 176 snaps.
Coming into the league, Dowling had a reputation for being injury prone. He was limited to five games during his senior year of college (two starts) due to hamstring, knee and ankle injuries. He suffered another hamstring during the combine after running the 40-yard dash.
The Patriots were willing to overlook his injury history due to his size (6-foot-2) and athleticism. Dowling responded by suffering another hamstring injury in his first practice with New England and was sidelined for 20 days.
Dowling started this season serving as the nickel back, but proved ineffective and slipped down the depth chart. Injuries in the secondary pushed him back into a more prominent role in recent weeks until he was injured late in Sunday’s overtime win over the Jets.
With safeties Patrick Chung (shoulder) and Steve Gregory (hip) out his week against the Rams, Alfonzo Dennard, Kyle Arrington, Sterling Moore and Marquice Cole will likely serve as the top corners with Devin McCourty filling in at safety.
TE Aaron Hernandez (ankle), RB Brandon Bolden (knee), LB Tracy White (foot) and DE Trevor Scott (hamstring) were also ruled out for Sunday.
Nick Underhill covers the Patriots for MassLive.com. Follow him on Twitter @CBSPats or @Nick_Underhill.
