New England Patriots put running back Jeff Demps on injured reserves list – NFL News
New England Patriots did not just cut many players to present their 53-man roster on Friday, August 31, 2012, they also placed their rookie running back Jeff Demps on the injured reserves (IR) list in a move which surprised many.
Demps was looking superb until Wednesday, August 29, when he got injured while playing the final preseason game against New York Giants.
Olympian Demps tweaked his leg during the game and was taken off the field. He did not take part in the rest of the game.
With the advice of Patriots medical team, Demps went through MRI that came out negative.
It is heartbreaking news for Demps who was hoping to give a standout performance in his rookie season.
Patriots have not indicated whether they have put Demps on a season-long IR list or a short one so that he can return later on in the season.
Demps remained undrafted this year as he had pulled his name from the draft due to his commitment to the US Olympic team.
Demps participated in the 400 meters relay for the US team and won the silver medal. Earlier in the offseason training camp, many teams had shown interest in hiring Demps. His agent Daniel Rose confirmed that as many as seven or eight teams had expressed
their interest in Demps.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers and New York Jets looked to be in the forefront of taking Demps on board, but Patriots finally got their man earlier in August.
He missed the entire offseason because of the Olympics and faced some difficulties in learning the schemes of Patriots. Demps previously said:
"It was an uncertainty. I was just focusing on running and the Olympics. Once all that was over, I decided to come back to the game. That's probably going to be the toughest part, just getting back into that football shape.”
Demps, 22, is 5 foot 7 and weighs175 pounds. He has reputation of getting through the field very fast and looked to be a sensation in the Patriots running game.
Tags: