New England Patriots - NESN.com
The New England Patriots have had a hectic past week or so, as they have had to trim their roster down to 53 players and fill out their practice squad. For the most part, their roster is ready to go for Week 1, but the front office is still making some under-the-radar moves before the start of the season.
Initially, the Patriots added 16 players to their practice squad, but they have been continually tweaking their group of players over the past few days. On Wednesday, that led them to a veteran three-time Super Bowl champion.
That player would be linebacker Darius Harris, who got released by the Dallas Cowboys as part of their roster cuts. With New England still having an open spot on its practice squad, they opted to sign Harris ahead of Week 1.
“Patriots sign LB Darius Harris to the practice squad,” the team announced in a post on X.
Harris didn’t get selected in the 2019 NFL Draft, but he was scooped up by the Kansas City Chiefs, which is where he spent the majority of his first five seasons in the league (he made a brief stop with the Las Vegas Raiders in 2023 before returning to the Chiefs).
As a result, Harris has won three Super Bowl rings with the Chiefs, and while he didn’t play a major role in those victories, he is familiar with the sorts of big stages the Patriots are looking to get to.
Harris spent last year with the Cowboys, but he was unable to crack their roster this time around. With Jahlani Tavai beginning the season on injured reserve, the Patriots are giving themselves a bit of extra protection at this spot should something happen to one of their other linebackers.
For now, Harris is simply an extra layer of insurance, as it would take several injuries in order for him to find his way on the field. He will look to hit the ground running, though, and immediately help New England prepare for its season-opener against the Las Vegas Raiders.
