Patriots Rumors: Raekwon McMillan Placed on IR with Partially Torn Achilles Injury

New England Patriots linebacker Raekwon McMillan was placed on injured reserve Thursday with a partially torn Achilles, according to Jeff Howe and Chad Graff of The Athletic. The 27-year-old suffered the injury during practice.

McMillan, a second-round pick in 2017, is entering his third season with New England and was set to be a big part of the team's linebacker corps following an up-and-down season in 2022 in which he had 35 tackles, a sack and a fumble recovery in 16 games.

He was re-signed to one-year, $1.6 million contract earlier in the offseason.

McMillan's tenure with the Patriots has unfortunately been defined by the major injuries that he's had. Signing with New England ahead of the 2021 season, he suffered a torn ACL during a practice before the start of that campaign as well.

Finally getting on the field in 2022, he started the first game of the season and then served as a backup for his last 15 appearances. He finished with a career-high five tackles for loss.

Now, the Patriots' depth at off-ball linebacker is looking razor thin after not adding one through the draft, despite owning a league-high 12 picks. They are down to just Ja'Whaun Bentley, Jahlani Tavai and Mack Wilson with much experience at the position—according to Howe and Graff—and can't afford another injury.