The Patriots are headed to Jacksonville for a matchup vs. the Jaguars and there are several newsworthy developments for New England's roster on Satruday.
First, the Patriots elevated S Mike Brown and DT Jeremiah Pharms Jr. from the practice squad for Sunday's game. Brown and Pharms were added to the roster to help bolster the defensive depth. Interestingly, New England did not elevate an edge rusher from the practice squad despite Dre'Mont Jones (shoulder, out) and Quintayvious Hutchins's (knee, IR) absences. The Pats available edge rushers are Elijah Ponder, second-rounder Gabe Jacas, and recently signed Jose Ramirez, who was added to the 53-man roster earlier this week.
Before we get into the practice squad elevations, TE Eli Raridon (thigh) and S Craig Woodson (shoulder) both made the trip to Jacksonville despite carrying questionable designations into the Week 3 matchup. There was initial optimism that Raridon could play this week when he practiced in a limited capacity on Wednesday. However, the third-rounder sat out the final two practice sessions on Thursday and Friday. Since he traveled with the team to Jacksonville, Raridon still has a chance to play on Sunday.
Last week, Raridon played 10 snaps before injuring his thigh vs. the Steelers, hauling in a 30-yard catch that showcased his receiving upside and how his presence creates mismatches for the Patriots offense. Raridon's explosive catch came when New England was playing out of a two-tight-end set (12 personnel) against the Steelers base defense. Pittsburgh's base look created a mismatch with Raridon on LB Payton Wilson, and the Patriots took advantage. In all, the Pats threw six passes for 76 yards vs. the Steelers base defense (12.7 YPA).
New England could turn to tight ends Cameron Latu and undrafted rookie Tanner Arkin if Raridon is unavailable. Latu played 14 snaps on offense when Raridon left the game last week and Arkin was inactive in Week 2 after playing on special teams in the season opener (kick return). The Pats also have FB Reggie Gilliam and could put an extra offensive lineman on the field to bulk up their formations. Still, they'd likely lose the effective passing groupings with Henry and Raridon on the field together that exploited Pittsburgh's base defense since Arkin, Gilliam, and Latu don't have the same receiving skills as the Pats rookie tight end.
Starting S Craig Woodson (shoulder) also made the trip to Jacksonville on Saturday after returning to Friday's practice in a limited capacity. Earlier this week, the Patriots placed third safety Dell Pettus (ankle) on injured reserve, so they're already down a layer of safety depth. Woodson still having a chance to play is huge as the second-year safety is a key piece to New England's secondary. Woodson stuffed a run, blew up a screen, and forced an incompletion in coverage before exiting the win over the Steelers in the third quarter.
The Pats still elevated Brown, who was with the team in training camp, as added insurance at safety. Brown was an early favorite to be the Patriots third safety in "big" nickel packages, which New England has featured often through two weeks. According to NextGen Stats, the Patriots have played 20.9% of their defensive snaps with three safeties on the field (11th in the NFL). Rather than playing base defense, the Pats are adding size to combat heavy offensive grouping by putting a third safety on the field rather than a cornerback.
Brown competed for the third safety role in camp but struggled in coverage, and the Patriots ultimately traded for S Jaylen Reed while Pettus remained in the mix until his ankle injury. Reed could have a larger role as a potential starter or third safety in "big" nickel depending on Woodson's status. Brown could then play on special teams, where Pettus was a core-four guy, while having experience as a "big" slot. The Jaguars play the second-highest rate of two-tight-end sets in the NFL, so it'll be interesting to see how New England matches their heavy groupings.
As for Pharms, the third-year pro played a special teams role for the Patriots when he dressed on game days last season, appearing on three different special teams units. Without Hutchins and Pettus, New England's depth in the kicking game took hits due to injuries over the last week. Pharms's elevation could be about filling snaps on special teams while he also flashed as an interior pass-rusher in the preseason.
New England continues to tinker with the roster following several early-season injuries to key starters A.J. Brown, Mike Onwenu, Dre'Mont Jones and others. With Jones ruled out, the Patriots, who still have an open roster spot on the 53-man roster, will need to declare five more players as inactive pre-game on Sunday.
The Patriots will then visit the Jaguars with kickoff at EverBank Stadium at 1 p.m. ET on Sunday.
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