Patriots fill 3 open roster spots ahead of Dolphins matchup
The New England Patriots added three players to their active roster on Saturday, and elevated two more from their practice squad for Sunday’s matchup with the Miami Dolphins.
Ahead of their Week 5 matchup with the Miami Dolphins on Sunday, the New England Patriots did some roster shuffling Saturday afternoon. With this being the first week multiple players are eligible to return from IR/PUP, the team needed to make corresponding moves to get them added to the 53-man roster.
Two of the three players eligible to be activated by the Patriots were on Saturday. That’s wide receiver Kendrick Bourne and safety Marte Mapu. Linebacker Sione Takitaki was also eligible to be activated this week, but was listed as doubtful on Friday’s injury report and will have to wait at least one more week to make his 2024 debut.
The Patriots entered Saturday with three open roster spots, after placing center David Andrews and tackle Caedan Wallace on IR on Friday (the team went into the week with another roster spot open). Two of those spots go to Bourne and Mapu.
To fill the third spot, the Patriots signed defensive tackle Jaquelin Roy off their own practice squad. Roy first signed with the Patriots’ practice squad back on Sept. 10.
Saturday also saw the Patriots make a few gameday roster moves. That includes two practice squad elevations – center Bryan Hudson and linebacker Ochaun Mathis. Hudson’s elevation is notable after Andrews’ injury – the rookie UDFA will be the backup center behind Nick Leverett in this game.
Finally, the team officially ruled out Jabrill Peppers for the game. With Peppers out and Kyle Dugger expected to miss the game after not practicing this week, there could be a big role in store for Mapu in his first game back.