A familiar face is returning to the Patriots’ quarterback room

The Patriots have reset their quarterback room, personnel-wise, prior to where it was prior to the weekend. According to multiple reports, the team is signing quarterback Will Grier to the practice squad.

Grier is back after getting waived by the team on Saturday. His spot was used to sign offensive lineman Conor McDermott - who started at left tackle on Sunday - from the practice squad.

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Despite what was posed as an open battle for the quarterback position last week, Grier reportedly didn't get any first-team snaps. Those all went to both Mac Jones and Bailey Zappe.

The Patriots first signed Grier to the active roster in mid-September, signing him off the Cincinnati Bengals' practice squad. Grier was never active for any games, but did dress on the majority of gamedays as the team's 'emergency third quarterback.'

If the Patriots want Grier to dress for games moving forward, they'll have to formally elevate him from the practice squad each week. Each player can be elevated up to three times in a season.

With Grier signed, the Patriots still have an open spot on their practice squad. Look for the team to fill that spot soon - they hosted 13 players for workouts on Tuesday, after hosting five on Monday.

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The voting process for the Pro Football Hall of Fame Class of 2024 took another step on Tuesday. Voting trimmed the initial list of 173 modern-era nominees down to 25 semifinalists.

That group of 25 features six former Patriots, including two long-time members of the team who won Super Bowls with the team. The other four had brief stints in New England.

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Will any of those five take the next step to becoming the 11th former Patriots inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame? The next step will be to make it to the finalists round, when the group of 25 players will be cut down to 15 in January. From there, the committee will select the five members of the Class of 2024, which will be revealed in the week leading up to the Super Bowl.

Here's a look at the former Patriots still up for induction this year...

Wilfork is in his third year on the ballot, and has now reached the semifinalist round all three times. This is as far as he made it the previous two years.

As was the case with another Patriots defensive tackle in Richard Seymour, Wilfork's Hall of Fame case goes beyond his numbers. Given how defensive tackles are used in the Patriots' defensive system, Wilfork impacted the game well beyond the box score.

During Wilfork's tenure the Patriots were regularly one of the toughest teams to run on in the NFL. When he missed 12 games in 2013 their rank against the run dropped all the way to 30th from ninth the year before. He was also one of the best pass-rushing nose tackles of his era, and played with great athleticism for his size. On top of that his durability was impressive given his position - 2013 was the only time Wilfork failed to play at least 13 games, and he played a full 16 in nine of his 13 seasons.

Still, will Wilfork's lack of raw stats force him to wait like Seymour did? It took five years of eligibility before 'Big Sey' got the nod.

If you've read any of my Pro Football Hall of Fame posts in the past, you know I feel strongly about this one. Rodney Harrison isn't just one of the biggest Hall of Fame snubs in the NFL, but across all sports.

Arguably the best strong safety of his era, Harrison is a two-time Super Bowl Champion and three-time All-Pro. He's also the inaugural member of the NFL's 30-30 Club, as the first player in league history to record both 30 career sacks and 30 career interceptions. Only Ray Lewis - a first ballot Hall of Famer - has joined him since, and no active player is particularly close.

Despite all of that, Harrison has never been a finalist in almost a decade of eligibility. This is his third time as a semifinalist, after 2021 and 2023. His induction is long overdue, but we'll have to see if this year is any different.

There are four other players who reached the semifinalist round who spent short stints with the Patriots. None of the four won a Super Bowl with the team, but one did play in one.

That one is James Harrison, who is in his second year of eligibility and is a second-time semifinalist. The long-time Steelers pass rusher recorded 84.5 sacks in his career, with the final two of those coming when he was a member of the Patriots.

Running back Fred Taylor also finished his career with the Patriots, after a dominant 11 seasons with the Jacksonville Jaguars. He's been a semifinalist each of the last four years.

Wide receivers Reggie Wayne and Torry Holt never played a snap for the Patriots, but both spent part of a training camp in New England before retiring. Holt in particular stands out as a worthy  candidate for induction - no NFL player in the 2000s had more catches (868) or receiving yards (12,594) than Holt. His 68 touchdowns in the decade rank fifth.

Here's the full list of 2024 semifinalists, from the Pro Football Hall of Fame...

Alex Barth is a writer and digital producer for 985TheSportsHub.com. Any opinions expressed do not necessarily reflect those of 98.5 The Sports Hub, Beasley Media Group, or any subsidiaries. Thoughts? Comments? Questions? Looking for a podcast guest? Let him know on Twitter @RealAlexBarth or via email at abarth@985TheSportsHub.com.