Pats Pulpit
With their first trip to the playoffs in four years coming up, the New England Patriots are busy trying to prepare their roster as well as possible for the challenges ahead. To do so, they made multiple moves on Tuesday.
They designated Milton Williams to return from injured reserve; they placed fellow defensive tackle Joshua Farmer on IR because of a hamstring injury; they signed offensive lineman Brenden Jaimes to fill Farmer’s spot on the 53-man roster; they made changes to their practice squad. They also, to top it all off, signed O-lineman Ben Brown to a two-year contract extension.
It’s a lot. So, let’s break it down.
Window open: The Patriots designating Williams to return off their injured reserve list does not automatically add him to the 53-man roster yet, but it does open a 21-day window for him to practice and get ready for game action. Of course, the team can activate him at any point within those three weeks. If it does not do so by January 13, however, he would remain on injured reserve and be out for the rest of the season.
53 on notice: Once Williams is deemed ready to return in full — something that very well could happen as early as this week — the Patriots will need to clear a spot on their active roster for him. At this point in the season, they effectively have two ways of doing so: releasing a player from their 53-man team, or sending somebody to injured reserve. His return to practice is therefore only the first shoe to drop.
Good timing: The Patriots’ interior defensive line is being tested at the moment. Not only is the aforementioned Joshua Farmer headed to injured reserve, the team also will have to spend one to two weeks without Khyiris Tonga. Time will tell how quickly Williams will be back on the field to help offset those losses, and then some, but his return to practice is a positive development nonetheless.
Depth impact: As noted above, the Patriots are facing some challenges along their defensive line at the moment, and Farmer going to injured reserve does not make matters any easier. With him and Milton Williams on IR, and Khyiris Tonga dealing with a foot issue of his own, New England is down to three healthy defensive tackles on its active roster: Christian Barmore, Cory Durden and Eric Gregory. In addition, the team has Jeremiah Pharms Jr, Leonard Taylor and Fabien Lovett on its practice squad as an extra layer of depth. One of the three getting elevated to the game day roster against the New York Jets on Sunday could happen, especially if Williams is not activated in time.
Return TBD: Per NFL rules, Farmer will have to sit out a minimum of four games while on injured reserve. This very much puts a question mark over the rest of his season. He...
