FOXBORO -- So many questions come in about Brian Waters.
While there is still no official answer on whetheror notthe OL will return to the Patriots, two things have happened this week that are hard to ignore.
Rookie Dont'a Hightower had to change his jersey number (45) to something that is league-approved. Linebackers can wear anything from 50-59, or 90-99; Hightower chose 54, which is the number Waters wore for the Patriots in 2011.
Waters' nameplate was taken off his locker sometime between Thursday and Friday's media availability. The space was mostly cleared out by September 2, but absence of the tag seemed to add gravity to the absence of the player.
No, it's nothing definitive -- just the rearrangement and removal of some stuff. But it's the only answer to give right now.