Jabaal Sheard Injury: Updates on Patriots DE's Ankle and Return

New England Patriots defensive lineman Jabaal Sheard hadn't played since he suffered an ankle injury against the Indianapolis Colts in Week 6, but he is ready to play.

Continue for updates.

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Sheard Active for Week 10

Sunday, Nov. 15

The Patriots announced Sheard was available to play against the New York Giants on Sunday.

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Latest on Sheard's Practice Status

Wednesday, Nov. 11

Mark Daniels of the Providence Journal reported that Sheard returned to practice for the first time in nearly a month when he participated in the morning walkthrough.

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Sheard Avoided Serious Injury 

Monday, Oct. 19 

Ian Rapoport reported Sheard's ankle injury is considered "minor."

On Oct. 18, Jeff Howe of the Boston Herald provided some semblance of relief for Patriots fans when he noted Sheard was standing on the sidelines, and it didn’t “look like the ankle is too bad."

After the game, Sheard told Mike Reiss of ESPN Boston he believes he'll be fine and was held out of the second half as a precaution.  

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Sheard's Return Important for Patriots' D-Line Depth

New England signed Sheard as an important part of the pass rush as an edge athlete after he spent four seasons with the Cleveland Browns. According to Pro-Football-Reference.com, Sheard notched four sacks in the Patriots’ first four games and was well on pace to top the career-high 8.5 sacks he tallied in 2011.

Reiss pointed out Sheard’s absence forced Rob Ninkovich and Chandler Jones into full-time positions instead of the typical rotation of pass-rushers that head coach Bill Belichick prefers to unleash on opposing offensive lines.

Look for Ninkovich and Jones to do more of the same moving forward if Sheard is forced to miss any more time this season.