Patriots' Tight End Suffers Ankle Sprain; Will Miss Some Time

The New England Patriots are going to be down one of their tight ends for a while. 

NFL Network's Ian Rapoport reports that Jonnu Smith will ''miss some time'' with a low ankle sprain. 

#Patriots TE Jonnu Smith, who has had tests done on his injured ankle over the last few days, was diagnosed with a low-ankle sprain, source said, and he is described as week-to-week. That indicates he may miss some time.

— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) October 5, 2022

The good news is that Smith did not suffer the dreaded high ankle sprain injury, which is obviously a more serious injury. 

Smith left New England's Week 4 loss to the Green Bay Packers on Sunday, playing just 17 snaps before departing. Smith has only run a route on 40% of the Patriots' drop backs this season but leads Hunter Henry in targets, 11 to nine. 

The twenty-seven-year-old has hauled in seven of 11 targets for 58 receiving yards this season. 

Smith's absence should clear the way for Hunter Henry to absorb a larger share of the snaps and targets available at tight end. Lil'Jordan Humphrey should also see some snaps at tight end in the coming weeks. 

Photo Credit: Paul Rutherford-USA TODAY Sports