The Patriots have made several roster moves ahead of Sunday's matchup vs. the Saints in New Orleans.
On Saturday, New England elevated RB Terrell Jennings and edge-rusher Truman Jones from the practice squad for Week 6. The Patriots didn't downgrade any injured players to out en route to Louisiana, so CB Christian Gonzalez (hamstring), LB Marte Mapu (neck/hamstring), and CB Charles Woods (knee) still have a chance to play this week. The trio of Pats defenders remains questionable for Sunday's game in New Orleans.
Starting at running back, New England placed RB Antonio Gibson (knee) on injured reserve on Friday. Gibson reportedly tore his ACL in last week's win over the Bills, ending his season. The loss of the veteran creates a void in two different areas. Gibson played 16.6% of the offensive snaps in the first five weeks, serving as a rotational back and two-back "pony" specialist whose speed was a threat to the defense. Along with his role on offense, Gibson was a valuable kickoff returner, earning special teams player of the week following his 90-yard touchdown return in Week 2.
Offensively, the Patriots will lean more on lead-back Rhamondre Stevenson and rookie TreVeyon Henderson. However, both have had their ups and downs. After fumbling seven teams in 2024, Stevenson has fumbled three times already this season, while Henderson is going through typical rookie growing pains. The Patriots need more from their rushing attack, which ranks last in expected points added (EPA) and 27th in rushing yards per game through five weeks. Specifically to the running backs, the Pats rank last in rushing yards after contact, so the backs aren't adding yards to the run blocking.
Earlier this week, OC Josh McDaniels preached patience with the run game, pointing to more "time on task" with four new starters on the offensive line and new run schemes that take time to gel.
"Patience is important in that regard, and not abandoning things and looking for one answer here or there," McDaniels said. "We've got to stick with our details, our techniques, our fundamentals, and continue to get better at them, and then finish."
The Patriots passing game, led by QB Drake Maye, has carried the offense to 25.0 points per game (12th in the NFL), a huge improvement from the last few seasons. However, New England will eventually need better production from the run game. The Pats see the highest rate of single-high safety shells (57.2%) and are tied for the second-most average defenders in the box (6.6). In other words, defenses aren't fearing their passing game yet, but that could change due to Maye's ascension, which is why the run game must improve.
As for the snap distribution at running back, one would expect that Henderson and Stevenson will get most of the touches. Even with him healthy, Gibson only got about five touches per game, so Jennings's role on offense will likely be limited. Still, Jennings adds a power runner between the tackles who could handle early-down carries in a pinch. There's also replacing Gibson on kickoff returns. Last week, Stevenson was next man up alongside Henderson as the top returners. But it might be risky to have the Patriots two healthy running backs returning kickoffs.
On Friday, Mike Vrabel was asked who would replace Gibson on kickoff returns, and the Pats HC didn't commit to a plan for Sunday's game.
"We'll see where it goes on Sunday. We've got guys who have all worked back there. Again, we just try to get something out of that unit. But Rhamondre can fill in and some different skill players," Vrabel said.
Moving over to the defense, the Patriots needed reinforcements at edge rusher due to multiple injuries. On Friday, New England ruled out edge defenders Keion White (elbow) and Anfernee Jennings (ankle). Starting edge-rusher K'Lavon Chaisson, who didn't carry an injury designation, is also returning from a one-week absence due to a knee injury.
The rash of injuries will test the Patriots defense's depth on the edge, with practice-squad elevation Truman Jones getting the first opportunity to be on the game-day roster. Like at running back, the Pats might not need to turn to Jones. New England has Chaisson, captain Harold Landry, undrafted rookie Elijah Ponder and LB Jahlani Tavai as options as well. In his return last week, Tavai played five of his 13 snaps on the line of scrimmage, so he can play there if necessary.
Still, Jones received high praise from Vrabel during his Friday press conference. The Harvard grad also made a strong roster push in training camp, showing good first-step explosiveness, speed-to-power, and a feel for operating in stunt schemes. Jones logged three hurries and a pair of stops in preseason action, while his skillset appears to fit the attack-minded style the Patriots want to play with on the edge.
"I'm not supposed to have favorites, but I would say that Truman's close to the list if I had one. He's an extremely hard worker," Vrabel said. "Every time we have a show player of the week on the [defense] or special teams, I would say that he's probably been one of those two, if not both, throughout the year. He's done a nice job. He prepares as a starter each and every week. He's continuing to develop, and we would be comfortable if we had to play him."
With the inevitable injuries piling up, Sunday's game will test the depth of the Patriots roster. The Pats need to tap into their depth at running back, edge defender, and safety, while star CB Christian Gonzalez continues managing his hamstring injury. The Patriots passed their initial checkpoint by beating weaker teams in the Dolphins and Panthers. Then, they took the next step by winning in Buffalo. Now, they must get back up for the Saints and get quality snaps from players further down the depth chart.
The Patriots visit the Saints at the Caesars Superdome in New Orleans with kickoff at 1 p.m. ET on Sunday.
