Onwenu goes on injured reserve as Patriots weigh right-guard options

Mike Onwenu is on injured reserve, leaving the Patriots to settle their right-guard plan before Sunday's game at Jacksonville. New England announced the move Tuesday, two days after Onwenu hurt his ankle in the Week 2 win over Pittsburgh. The club also signed punter Mitch Wishnowsky from the practice squad to the 53-man roster and added tight end Tanner Conner to the practice squad.

The roster decision makes Onwenu's absence official, but it does not identify his replacement on the offensive line or give a return date. At his Monday news conference, coach Mike Vrabel said he did not expect Onwenu back in the short term. Asked whether the ankle was broken, Vrabel described it as an ankle injury and did not confirm a diagnosis. That distinction matters: reports about a fracture should not be treated as the club's medical announcement. The Patriots' video of Vrabel's September 21 news conference supplies the coach's comments in their original setting.

Greg Van Roten stepped in after Onwenu left Sunday's game. NBC Sports reported that Vrabel had not ruled out moving first-round rookie Caleb Lomu inside from tackle or making another lineup adjustment. The Boston Globe also identified Ben Brown as a possible interior option. Those are possibilities, not a starting five the Patriots have named. The next practice work and Week 3 inactives will give a firmer answer.

Onwenu's loss is consequential because he had been the projected starter on the right side, next to tackle Morgan Moses. A July team position review projected a line with Will Campbell, Alijah Vera-Tucker, Jared Wilson, Onwenu and Moses. The question now is whether New England favors an experienced fill-in at guard or reshuffles a rookie tackle into a new position. Either choice changes the protection group in front of Drake Maye.

Wishnowsky's promotion solves a different roster need. The team said he had already been elevated from the practice squad for each of its first two games. Giving him a permanent spot did not add an offensive lineman to replace Onwenu. New England's September 23 team show discussed the right-guard options, but the club had not announced a starter when this report was checked.