Patriots wide receiver JaQuae Jackson was carted off the field Thursday night at Gillette Stadium after suffering a leg injury in a preseason game.

The injury occurred early in the fourth quarter, on an incompletion from quarterback Joe Milton III along the Philadelphia Eagles sideline. Jackson, an undrafted rookie, remained down on the turf for several minutes.

The Patriots’ sideline emptied as Jackson was loaded onto the cart, and he placed a towel over his head as he was taken down the tunnel toward the locker room.

Jackson played at Rutgers last season after transferring from Division-II California University of Pennsylvania, where he caught 77 passes for 1,178 yards and 13 touchdowns in 2022. He initially signed a UDFA contract with the Atlanta Falcons before joining the Patriots in June.

The 24-year-old was a long shot to make New England’s 53-man roster, but he’s had some positive moments this summer, most notably his 38-yard touchdown catch from Milton in last week’s preseason opener against the Carolina Panthers. He’s one of four rookie wideouts on the 90-man roster along with second-round pick Ja’Lynn Polk, fourth-round pick Javon Baker and fellow UDFA David Wallis.

The Patriots quickly ruled Jackson out for the remainder of the game.