New England Patriots Breaking News: Ty Warren Out, Derrick Burgess In

"Thin" isn't exactly the first word that comes to mind when one thinks about defensive linemen.

Still, the Patriots have been thin in the defensive front for much of the preseason. Injuries, absences, and cuts have created several gaps in the defense. As usual, the Patriots are doing what's necessary to plug those holes.

Plugging one of those holes effectively just became a lot more necessary.

NFL.com reports that the Patriots placed defensive end Ty Warren on season-ending injured reserve Friday after Warren elected to undergo surgery. He has been "laboring around for about a year and a half" on his injured hip, and did more damage to it in the third practice of training camp. He hasn't seen the practice field since then.

Bill Belichick notes that Warren has "missed quite a bit of time in the past couple of years," and the Patriots have had to deal with his absence during those periods.

Veteran newcomers Damione Lewis and Gerard Warren have seen more playing time since Ty Warren's injury, and figure to share the load in his absence. Gerard Warren played well in the preseason opener against the Saints, showing the ability to press the pocket and create pressure on the quarterback.

One has to wonder if the recent rash of injuries to Ty Warren could signal the end of his time in a Patriots uniform when his contract runs up at the end of the 2011 season.

Not all is doom and gloom in the Patriots locker room, though. While the Patriots were waiting on Warren's injury status to clear up, they were also waiting on outside linebacker Derrick Burgess as he contemplated retirement.

The waiting game is over, and Burgess is back in the fold. This is huge for New England, as a big question mark over the past couple of weeks has been the lack of bodies at outside linebacker. The Patriots released oft-injured Shawn Crable, who has yet to play a regular season snap in his first two seasons in the league. He hasn't drawn many (if any) offers as a free agent.

The team brought in free agent Marques Murrell a couple of weeks ago to replace Crable. Murrell has looked good in practice, and landed a heavy sack on Drew Brees on the opening drive of the preseason opener against the Saints. He was expected to be the starter, but Burgess' return creates a bit more competition between Murrell, Burgess, and rookie Jermaine Cunningham.

The situation in the front seven was looking rather uncertain over the past couple of weeks, but the Patriots finally have a measure of clarity. They can now put a clear plan in place and move forward.

They may be thin on the defensive line, but as Tully Banta-Cain put it, "there's no such thing as thin if everyone's doing their job and playing well."