New England Patriots Linebacker Tears Achilles

The battle of attrition in the 2023 NFL season has already begun. The New England Patriots announced they were placing linebacker Raekwon McMillan on injured reserve with a torn Achilles Thursday afternoon, effectively ending his season.

Patriots sign TE Anthony Firkser; Place LB Raekwon McMillan on injured reserve: https://t.co/l3MySpA6Z4
— New England Patriots (@Patriots) May 25, 2023

McMillan played 522 snaps as a reserve linebacker and special teamer for the Patriots last year, compiling 35 tackles over 16 appearances. Most notably, he returned a fumble recovery for a touchdown during the Patriots' Week 14 27-13 win over the Arizona Cardinals.

It's a truly unfortunate turn of events for McMillan, who has already battled back from multiple season-ending injuries over his short career. He tore his ACL in the first preseason game of his rookie season with the Miami Dolphins and suffered another torn ACL in the 2021 offseason after signing on with the Patriots.

McMillan was once a coveted NFL prospect: he entered the league as the 57th overall pick of the 2017 NFL Draft. At his peak, he was a speedy inside linebacker with a bright future: he started 16 games and notched 105 total tackles for the Dolphins in 2018. Hopefully, he'll be able to make a full recovery and put his injury woes behind him.