The Patriots are making their final preparations for Sunday's home tilt vs. the Cleveland Browns by elevating two depth players from the practice squad on Saturday.

On Saturday, New England elevated RB Terrell Jennings and S Richie Grant from the practice squad for Sunday's game vs. the Browns. This is Jennings' third and final standard elevation, meaning the Patriots will need to sign the running back to the 53-man roster to have him active on game day after this week. Grant, on the other hand, signed to the Patriots practice squad on Oct. 15 and was elevated for the first time this week.

Grant's elevation could signal that S Kyle Dugger's (knee) availability is in doubt for Sunday's game. Dugger first appeared on the injury report with his knee injury on Thursday. He was limited in the final two practices while being listed as questionable on the team's final injury report. The Patriots safety room has been dealing with some bumps and bruises, with starters Jaylinn Hawkins (hamstring) and rookie Craig Woodson (ankle) also managing injuries during the practice week. Although they were on the practice participation reports, Hawkins is expected to return from a two-game absence, and Woodson is also good to go.

Hawkins and Woodson started the first five games as the top safety tandem, but New England's depth will be tested without Dugger, and their two starters banged up. Dugger has been the third safety all season, stepping in for Hawkins over the last two weeks and playing in three-safety packages in the first five weeks. Dugger also has a significant role in the kicking game, playing 12 (48%) special teams snaps in last week's win over the Titans. Along with Grant, the Patriots also have DB Dell Pettus and special-teamer Brenden Schooler as safety depth.

As for Grant, the 27-year-old was a second-round draft pick by the Falcons in the 2021 NFL Draft. Grant started 33 games over four seasons in Atlanta, so he has experience, while he also played 78.3% of the Falcons special teams snaps last season. Grant primarily played free safety in Atlanta, but the 6-foot, 200-pound defensive back has played roles in the box and over the slot. As a college prospect, Grant was known for his 10 interceptions at Central Florida, playing as a rangy ball-hawk. Grant fits a similar mold as Hawkins and Woodson, being at his best in deep zone coverage, so it makes sense that the Patriots brought him aboard.

At running back, Jennings was elevated for the third-straight week to serve as the third running back behind lead-back Rhamondre Stevenson and rookie TreVeyon Henderson. Last week, Jennings, a downhill power runner between the tackles, played nine snaps. Jennings was given the carries to close out the fourth quarter, with a nine-yard rush and a successful fourth-down carry, allowing the Patriots to end the game with the ball. Stevenson played most of the snaps (45) when the game was competitive in Tennessee.

Henderson has had some struggles in his rookie season, while Jennings is now out of standard elevations, bringing up some questions about the Patriots running back depth. Despite game-breaking speed, Henderson is only averaging 4.3 yards per touch. Ideally, Henderson, the 38th overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft, gets going to be a true spell-back for Stevenson. But, since vet RB Antonio Gibson's season-ending knee injury, running back has been top of mind in terms of potential external additions, with the NFL's trade deadline on the horizon (Nov. 4). For now, it'll be the same running back trio that New England has rolled with the last three weeks: Stevenson, Henderson, and Jennings.

The final step from a roster perspective for the Patriots will be game-day inactives. After elevating two players from the practice squad, New England will need to declare seven inactive players. As mentioned, Grant's elevation suggests Dugger could be among them. The Patriots have also had G Ceadan Wallace, DT Eric Gregory, and QB Tommy DeVito (emergency QB) as regular inactives, leaving two or three more inactives to go, depending on Dugger's status.

The Patriots will host the Browns at Gillette Stadium with kickoff at 1 p.m. ET on Sunday.

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