29 Duke Dawson DB

Dawson (hamstring) was placed on injured reserve Thursday, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports.

Dawson, a 2018 second-rounder, has been fighting through a hamstring injury for weeks and does not seem to have made significant steps in his recovery thus far. The Patriots reportedly plan to bring Dawson off injured reserve midway through the season, after the 21-year-old has gotten fully healthy. With this, Dawson is guaranteed to miss at least the first six games of the regular season. The move also allowed New England to promote wide receiver Riley McCarron from the practice squad to active roster, Mike Reiss of ESPN.com reports.

Dawson (hamstring) was a non-participant in Thursday's practice, Ryan Hannable of WEEI Daily Mashup reports.

Dawson is still nursing the hamstring injury that caused him to miss significant time in training camp. It's possible that the Patriots are simply being cautious with their 2018 second-round pick, considering that Dawson was previously able to practice in limited fashion. It remains to be see whether the 21-year-old will suit up for Sunday's season opener against the Texans.