The connections mostly flow one direction this October.

But between the active rosters, practice squads and reserve lists, five players in the current fold have been both New England Patriots and New Orleans Saints during their NFL careers.

Here’s a glance through that list of past and present names heading into Sunday’s flexed-out 1 p.m. ET kickoff at Caesars Superdome.

NEW ORLEANS

Brandin Cooks, wide receiver — Cooks was a Saint before and he is a Saint again. The 32-year-old’s NFL run has produced 722 receptions for 9,635 yards, 58 carries for 341 yards, as well as 62 total...

Stefon Diggs’ return to Buffalo was a full-on success.

Not only did the New England Patriots ended up beating his former club, the Bills, in upset fashion, he also played a pivotal role in the game. The first-year Patriot caught 10 passes for 146 yards, his best statistical output since joining the team as a free agent in March.

Given his production — he was responsible for 45.5% of the Patriots’ receptions and 53.5% of their receiving yards — Diggs being classified as New England’s WR1 seems to make sense. However, his playing time does not reflect that label: he...

Sunday’s epic upset thriller in Buffalo became an instant classic. The undefeated Bills, wearing their spanking new Rivalry white ‘Cold Front’ uniforms, hosted New England for the final time at their old Highmark Stadium. Fans dressed to create a ‘white-out’ vibe, but the outfits weren’t enough. The Patriots prevailed 23-20, in a gritty, turnover-fueled nail-biter that snapped Buffalo’s perfect record and sent New England soaring from rebuilding mediocrity straight into the playoff conversation.

The win was far from flawless, especially early on, but the victory belonged to the whole team. The difference on Sunday was how they battled back. The...

Mike Vrabel, Drake Maye, and the New England Patriots got their signature win with a primetime upset over the Buffalo Bills. With the Patriots seemingly announcing to the rest of the league they are to be taken for real, they get set to head down to New Orleans for what could be a classic trap game.

So, submit any Patriots questions — or whatever else is on your mind — down in the comments below or on Twitter using #PostPulpit.

Stay tuned for Friday’s updated mailbag.

The New England Patriots continued their hot start under Mike Vrabel in Week 5, pulling off a stunning 23-20 upset win over the Buffalo Bills on Sunday Night Football.

At 3-2, the Patriots are off to their best start in six years. With one more victory, they’ll match their win total from each of the last two seasons.

New England has improved dramatically on both sides of the ball under Vrabel. After ranking 30th in scoring and 22nd in points allowed last year, the Patriots rank above average in both categories this season.

While the personnel are better and Drake...

The New England Patriots may have finalized a 53-man roster out of training camp, but that team was not set in stone. By Week 1, there had already been several moves — a trend that only continued since and will do so through the rest of the season.

In order to stay on top of all the news and movement, here is our up-to-date breakdown of the the Patriots’ roster, practice squad and injury lists for this season.

Patriots updated roster: 53 players

Quarterback (3): Drake Maye (10), Joshua Dobbs (11), Tommy DeVito (16)

Running back (4): Rhamondre Stevenson...

After losing Antonio Gibson to a torn ACL, the New England Patriots have added to the backfield depth chart.

The organization announced the signing of running back Jashaun Corbin to the practice squad on Tuesday. To make room, offensive lineman Royce Newman was released from the group of 17.

Corbin, 25, went undrafted out of Texas A&M and Florida State in 2022. He has been a member of the New York Giants, Carolina Panthers and Atlanta Falcons since then. Handling three catches and one carry through six games, his NFL career includes 15 snaps on offense and 118 snaps on...

The New England Patriots are adding to their running back depth after losing Antonio Gibson for the season.

On Tuesday, ESPN’s Mike Reiss reported that New England had signed a new RB to their practice squad: Jashaun Corbin.

Corbin, a versatile running back from Florida State, entered the NFL undrafted in 2022 after a college career yielding 1,771 rushing yards, 14 touchdowns, and 60 receptions for 360 yards. He signed with the New York Giants as a free agent but was released during final cuts, only to rejoin their practice squad days later.

In January 2023, Corbin inked a reserve/future...

At 3-2, the New England Patriots are off to their best start since Tom Brady’s final season with the team six years ago.

While much of the credit has gone to Drake Maye and Josh McDaniels for turning the offense around, the defense has been excellent as well. The Patriots are allowing just 20.2 points per game, good for ninth in the NFL.

The unit has shined despite having a first-time defensive coordinator in Terrell Williams and not having its best player, Christian Gonzalez, for the first three games of the season.

New England’s defense has been especially strong up...

The New England Patriots must strengthen their receiving core if they hope to make a serious push for the playoffs this season.

Since the open market offers few high-quality wide receivers, New England will likely need to pursue a trade to acquire one. Former Patriots cornerback Ty Law recently expressed his desire for the team to trade for Philadelphia Eagles receiver A.J. Brown.

“Absolutely bring him in,” Law said on Tuesday on WEEI’s “The Greg Hill Show” when asked about whether the Patriots should trade for Brown. “If you can get A.J. Brown and pair him with Stefon Diggs, bring...

After being hired by the Patriots last winter, Mike Vrabel conducted a full organizational audit — including in the shower rooms.

On Tuesday, Go Long! founder and reporter Tyler Dunne published a fascinating story on how much Vrabel needed to clean up after Bill Belichick and Jerod Mayo dragged New England into the abyss. And one of the story’s most fascinating anecdotes is provided at the very beginning.

“The showers were a pigsty,” Dunne wrote. “A scene straight out of a college frat house. His first spring on the job, Mike Vrabel noticed that players were leaving washcloths all over...

Count Scott Zolak among those becoming more disenenchanted with Bill Belichick by the day.

On Monday, CBS Sports’ Ross Martin reported that Belichick had directed UNC staffers to not tweet about anything related to the New England Patriots, including former Tar Heels quarterback Drake Maye. Martin dropped the report after UNC’s social accounts were curiously quiet in the aftermath of Maye’s signature victory over the Buffalo Bills on Sunday.

“According to sources inside the UNC football program, it is a directive from the staff (Bill Belichick) to not tweet/retweet anything Patriots-related,” CBS Sports’ Ross Martin posted to X on Monday...