Aaron Dobson wasn't much of a factor in the second half against Denver Sunday night. In fact, he wasn't on the field, save a couple of plays at the beginning of the third quarter.
He appeared to limp off the field after Julian Edelman's first touchdown of the day and was not seen on the field thereafter. Nor was he at practice Wednesday when the team gathered inside the Dana-Farber Field House for a rare indoor session (heavy rains and wind forced the move inside).
It's unclear exactly why Dobson was absent, but we'll know more when the injury report is released later this afternoon.
Joining Dobson on the absentee list were tight end Michael Hoomanawanui (left knee), who was injured at Carolina two weeks ago, and o-lineman Marcus Cannon, who injured his right foot/ankle against the Broncos.
Entering the day, New England had four roster spots open – two each on the 53-man active and 8-man practice squad. Two of those jobs were filled, one by tight end D.J. Williams, the other by an offensive lineman wearing jersey number 69 at today's practice. It's still unclear whether either or both are on the active roster or practice squad, but Williams, wearing jersey 86, is believed to be on the active roster to take the place of the injured Hoomanawanui.
The two practice squad spots will likely be filled by two players who were released this week and had been on the squad earlier this season – DB Justin Green and d-tackle Marcus Forston.
Meanwhile, four players were honored by the team as Practice Players of the Week leading up to the Broncos game: QB Ryan Mallett, DE Jake Bequette, rookie WR Josh Boyce, and rookie practice squad safety Kanorris Davis.
UPDATE 3:11 p.m.
The Patriots just announced the signing of Williams and the promotion of d-lineman Sealver Siliga from the practice squad. So, the 53-man is complete again. The anonymous o-lineman is Patrick Ford, a rookie. He is on the practice squad.
