The Patriots return home when they host the Cleveland Browns at Gillette Stadium on Sunday, and both teams have one key player listed as questionable on the final injury report.

On Friday's final injury report, the Patriots listed S Kyle Dugger (knee) as questionable for Sunday's game vs. the Browns. Dugger is the lone Patriots player who will carry an injury designation into the Week 8 contest. As for Cleveland, the Browns are listing TE David Njoku (knee) and DT Adin Huntington (concussion) as questionable.

With superstar pass-rusher Myles Garrett and the Browns fifth-ranked defense by DVOA coming to town, the good news is the Patriots offense is in good health heading into Week 8. However, New England's defense continues to manage injuries at safety and edge rusher.

Starting at safety, the Patriots safety room seems to have caught the injury bug with Dugger (knee), Jaylinn Hawkins (hamstring), and Craig Woodson (ankle) all dealing with some bumps and bruises. On a positive note, Hawkins will return after a two-game absence and Woodson won't carry an injury designation into Sunday's game — they're both good to go.

Dugger first appeared on the practice participation report on Thursday as a limited participant and was limited again on Friday. The veteran safety started the last two games while Hawkins was out, playing mostly well outside of one tricky coverage assignment where he gave up a big play in Week 6. Before the injuries began to impact playing time at safety, Hawkins and Woodson were the Patriots starters, but Dugger has made the case to continue to receive snaps beyond the specialized "big" nickel packages he was on the field for in the first five weeks.

As for Woodson, the fourth-round rookie didn't practice on Wednesday but was a full participant on Friday. Woodson has started all seven games in his first NFL season and has shown promise as a run defender (six stops) while flashing in coverage and as a blitzer. Like any rookie, Woodson's had some ups and downs, such as when he was on the scene for a 38-yard touchdown by Titans WR Chimere Dike last Sunday. Still, Woodson is developing on the job for the Patriots, and his play speed and physicality are solid building blocks for the future.

New England has DB Dell Pettus and special-teamer Brenden Schooler as reserves at safety, while the team recently signed S Richie Grant to the practice squad. Although the Patriots will have to manage some injuries at safety, the Browns don't throw the deep ball much. Browns QB Dillon Gabriel has only attempted three passes over 20 air yards and is last in the league in average air yards per attempt (5.9 yards). If there's a week to be thin at safety, it might be this one.

Another position group where injuries continue to creep up is edge defender. First, this week's AFC Defensive Player of the Week, K'Lavon Chaisson, missed the Buffalo game (Week 4). Then, top backups Anfernee Jennings and Keion White had to sit out the game in New Orleans, followed by captain Harold Landry III playing through an ankle injury in Tennessee last week. Landry remained limited in the first two practices this week due to his ankle injury, while undrafted rookie Elijah Ponder is now nursing a knee injury.

Although he's had a small role on defense, playing only 12.8% of the defensive snaps, Ponder has been a core special-teamer in his first NFL season. He was on four different special teams units last week, ranking sixth on the team in special teams snaps (80). Ponder returned to practice in a limited capacity on Thursday and was a full participant in Friday's session. He isn't listed on the team's final injury report.

The Patriots claimed OLB Caleb Murphy off waivers earlier this week as another layer of depth. On Wednesday, head coach Mike Vrabel pointed to Murphy's development on special teams as a reason why the team wanted to work with the third-year pro, who played his first season-plus for Vrabel in Tennessee. Seeing that they have similar skill sets, Murphy could step in for Ponder if necessary.

New England has depth on the roster at edge rusher and safety. Still, the rash of injuries put the two positioning groups on the radar with the trade deadline approaching on Nov. 4. Reports indicate that the Patriots are most interested in defensive depth, which seems logical given that there have been multiple injuries at specific positions while the defense currently ranks 28th in DVOA. Although injuries of any kind aren't ideal, it's tough when injuries are isolated to one position group, like the Patriots have at edge rusher and safety.

As mentioned, the good news is that the Patriots offense is healthy. Star receiver Stefon Diggs was limited participant in the first two practices this week due to a lingering chest injury, which saw him carry a questionable designation into last week's game in Tennessee. However, Diggs was a full participant in Friday's practice and isn't on the team's final injury report this week – he's good to go.

Lastly, Cleveland is listing starting TE David Njoku (knee) as questionable for Sunday's contest. Njoku missed the Browns win over the Dolphins last week and has been a limited participant in practice this week, while head coach Kevin Stefanski said that he's hopeful the tight end will play. Njoku's availability is a big 'X' factor in this matchup, as the Patriots defense is 23rd in receiving yards allowed to tight ends (61.3). Starting WR Jerry Jeudy, who is dealing with a knee injury, is off the injury report and is good to go.

New England's four-game winning streak is tied for the longest active streak in the NFL, while the Patriots won three straight regular-season road games in consecutive weeks for the first time since the AFL-NFL merger in 1970. There's tons of positive momentum for Vrabel's team, with QB Drake Maye playing at a high level while the Patriots have already surpassed last season's win total at 5-2. Now, the Pats have to make Gillette Stadium a difficult place for visitors to play again, with a league-worst 4-16 home record since the start of the 2023 season (1-2 this season).

The Patriots host the Browns at Gillette Stadium with kickoff at 1 p.m. ET on Sunday.

DISCLAIMER: The views and thoughts expressed in this article are those of the writer and don't necessarily reflect those of the organization. Read Full Disclaimer