Report: Patriots' James Develin out 6-8 weeks with broken tibia

New England Patriots fullback James Develin suffered a broken right tibia in Friday's 17-16 preseason victory over the Carolina Panthers, Mike Reiss of ESPN reports.

Develin is scheduled to undergo surgery in Charlotte for what has been described as a clean break, according to Reiss. The hope is that he can return in 6-8 weeks.

Develin went down midway through the fourth quarter after catching a 10-yard pass from quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo. He was tended to by trainers and medical personnel before being carted off.

"Dev's one of the hardest working guys in the locker room, a real team guy," Garoppolo said after the game. "That's tough to see him go down like that, especially when things are going well. We had a little momentum with us, and it was unfortunate but all the prayers out to him for sure."