The Patriots are shuffling the deck as they head into the final stretch of the season, making a handful of roster moves that speak to both immediate needs and long-term depth concerns.
On Tuesday, New England elevated interior offensive lineman Brenden Jaimes from the practice squad to the 53-man roster. The move comes as rookie left guard Jared Wilson enters concussion protocol, and with the offensive line already thin, Jaimes gives the Patriots a versatile interior option behind Mike Onwenu and Ben Brown. Jaimes, who has experience at both guard and center, offers a plug-and-play insurance policy as the team navigates injuries up front.
To make room, defensive tackle Joshua Farmer was placed on injured reserve after sustaining a hamstring injury in Sunday’s win over the Ravens. It’s a tough break for the rookie, who had started carving out a rotational role on the defensive line. By rule, Farmer will be sidelined for at least four games, further testing the Patriots’ depth on the interior.
The team also made a pair of additions to the practice squad, signing running back Elijah Mitchell and wide receiver Brandon Smith. These moves come in response to more injury trouble: rookie back TreVeyon Henderson and wideout Kayshon Boutte both entered concussion protocol following Sunday’s game.
Mitchell, 27, is a familiar name to NFL fans. He burst onto the scene as a rookie with the 49ers in 2021, racking up 963 rushing yards and five touchdowns in Kyle Shanahan’s system.
Since then, he’s bounced around a bit, most recently spending time with the Chiefs. Now, he lands in New England looking to provide experienced depth behind the Patriots’ young backfield.
Smith, also 27, brings size and athleticism to the receiver room. He’s been on the fringes of NFL rosters with the Cowboys, Cardinals, and Jets, appearing in three games but still looking for his first career reception. With Boutte sidelined and the Patriots continuing to search for consistent production at wide receiver, Smith becomes a low-risk addition who could see an opportunity if injuries persist.
To clear a spot on the practice squad, the team released offensive tackle Sebastian Gutierrez.
All told, this is a classic late-season roster recalibration-replacing injured contributors with experienced depth and maintaining flexibility across the board. With multiple players in concussion protocol and a playoff push still technically in play, New England is making sure it has the reinforcements ready.