With seven players already ruled out heading into Sunday's Week 17 matchup vs. the Jets, the Patriots made a series of roster moves on Saturday afternoon.
The Patriots placed starting WR Mack Hollins (abdomen) on injured reserve and signed DT Jeremiah Pharms Jr. from the practice squad to the 53-man roster. Additionally, DL Leonard Taylor III and DB Kobee Minor were elevated from the practice squad for Sunday's game.
For the Patriots offense, Hollins heading to injured reserve is a tough blow, as he leads all Patriots wideouts in snaps (657) and is third on the team in receptions (46) and receiving yards (550). As a receiver, Hollins is a big, quarterback-friendly target. Patriots OC Josh McDaniels has also described Hollins as a "chess piece" in the run game, where his 6-4, 220-pound frame allows him to block from several different alignments, including on the wing or from the slot at the point of attack. The Patriots offense has relied heavily on the veteran in all situations due to his size, versatility, and repertoire with Maye.
New England will have to play at least the next four games without Hollins, including playoffs, with the 32-year-old eligible to return in the postseason if the Patriots advance. With two games remaining in the regular season, Hollins could return in the AFC Championship Game or the Super Bowl, with a possible first-round bye not factoring into the required four-game absence.
Despite ruling out two receivers, Hollins and WR Kayshon Boutte (concussion), and listing WR DeMario Douglas (hamstring) as questionable, the Patriots didn't elevate a wide receiver from the practice squad. That signals that Douglas could be available on Sunday, joining Stefon Diggs and rookies Kyle Williams and Efton Chism III as New England's four healthy wideouts. The Pats typically have five wide receivers active, so not elevating any wideouts from the practice squad is a mild surprise (John Jiles, Jeremiah Webb, and Brandon Smith were options).
In the big picture, Boutte should return, giving the Patriots a playoff receiving corps of Diggs, Boutte, Douglas, Williams, and Chism. Both this week and in the bigger picture, New England might need to rely more on its two veteran tight ends, Hunter Henry and Austin Hooper, recreating the three-receiver versatility Hollins provided with two-tight-end packages. Luckily, Henry and Hooper are solid options, but they offer different skill sets than Hollins, who is more of a downfield receiving threat.
Before we move over to the defense, it's also worth noting that the Patriots didn't add a running back to the game-day roster with rookie TreVeyon Henderson in concussion protocol. Henderson practiced in a full capacity on Friday after going through Wednesday's session in a red non-contact jersey, signalling that he's progressing through the league's protocol. New England's projected backfield options are Rhamondre Stevenson, D'Ernest Johnson and possibly Henderson.
As for the Patriots additions on the defensive line, Pharms Jr. and Taylor III were added to the game-day roster. New England made these moves due to NT Khyiris Tonga (foot) and standout DT Milton Williams (ankle) being ruled out on Friday. Tonga reportedly suffered a one-to-two week injury in last week's win over the Ravens, so hopefully he'll return for the postseason. As for Williams, he returned to practice this week, but the team is holding off on activating him from injured reserve for at least another week.
On Friday, head coach Mike Vrabel spoke about the decision to pass on activating Williams from injured reserve, who began his 21-day practice window on Tuesday.
"Just trying to get back into it. I think he's working hard. I would say that it'd be tough to see a lot just from the way that the practices were structured, but he's working hard to get back, and again, it's good to see him out there with the team. That's just the first step of it," Vrabel said.
While easing Williams back into the fold, Pharms and Taylor will likely fill rotational roles alongside defensive tackles Christian Barmore, Cory Durden, and Eric Gregory. The Patriots typically have five defensive tackles active on game day, so the two additions from the practice squad will get them to their usual number. As for Minor, this is the rookie cornerback's third and final standard elevation of the regular season, with the seventh-rounder usually playing a special teams role. It's worth noting that practice squad elevations reset in the postseason.
Although the two teams are moving in different directions this season, the Patriots are navigating a lengthy injury report with a season-high seven players ruled out. Hollins's injury is also major news as we look ahead to the postseason, so seeing how New England weathers the injury storm on Sunday will be interesting. That said, reinforcements should be on the way, with Williams, LB Robert Spillane (ankle), starting LT Will Campbell (knee), and others possibly returning for New England's playoff run.
The Patriots visit the Jets at MetLife Stadium in the Meadowlands with kickoff at 1 p.m. ET on Sunday.
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