After a chaotic weekend of tough decisions to finalize their initial 53-man roster for the 2026 season, the Patriots continued to make changes through waiver claims and signings of newly made free agents to put their team over the top.
There were plenty of holes that needed to be addressed even after the roster cut deadline, especially with the announcement of a few players who will start the season on injured reserve or the PUP list, meaning they will miss (at least) the first four games of the season.
That made it easy to guess who would return to the practice squad, and because only CB Marcellas Dial was claimed of all the players the Patriots cut, most were expected to be re-signed.
That appears to be the case early on.
Last season, many players were elevated from the practice squad to the game-day roster and, because of their performances, were eventually signed instead of reverting. That could be the case again this year, as Mike Vrabel previously stated that the team lacks serious depth, which is a massive opportunity for the following players.
Patriots sign more players to their practice after initially finalizing their 2026 roster
PLAYER NAME | POSITION |
|---|---|
Jeremiah Pharms Jr. | DT |
Lorenz Metz | OT |
Mitch Wishnowsky | P |
Hassan Haskins | RB |
Jacob Rizy | C |
Riley Wilson | LB |
*Continue to check back for updates on more signings
- NFL insider Ian Rapoport was first to report the Patriots' plan to sign punter Mitch Wishnowsky to the practice squad, an early indication that Bryce Baringer is day-to-day after suffering an injury ahead of last week's preseason finale. No matter what, having another punter is a good plan, given Baringer's up-and-down 2025 season.
- Doug Kyed of the Boston Herald has reported that DT Jeremiah Pharms Jr. is set to return to the Patriots' practice squad again, adding more depth to the defensive line, which has consistently been considered one of the team's weakest groups.
- Mark Daniels of MassLive.com reports that OT Lorenz Metz will be signing with the practice squad, adding more insurance to an already thin offensive line. This is a good start, but they'll need to add even more players if they want to feel confident going into the upcoming season.
- NFL insider Jeremy Fowler reports that running back Hassan Haskins will return to New England to join their practice squad. His performance against the Browns last week made him look like a frontrunner for the RB3 battle, but a trade with the Cardinals for Corey Kiner forced the team to cut the rest of the room. Haskins should have a good shot to be elevated at some point, however.
- Mark Daniels adds that DT Eric Gregory will sign with the PS. He was a surprising cut ahead of the deadline, but he will make his way back to add depth to the defensive line.
- Patriots OnSi's Ethan Hurwitz reports that C Jacob Rizy will sign with the PS. He was a standout this summer, and many believed he would be a key depth piece on the roster. Instead, he will stick around in case disaster strikes.
- Mark Daniels reports LB Riley Wilson will sign with the PS. Not much was said about Wilson throughout training camp, but the linebacker room needs a lot of help, so adding more talent to the room is exactly what they need to do.
Last updated: Monday, August 31 @ 3:07 p.m. EST
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