Because the Patriots are in the midst of their playoff run, they are still actively looking to sign free agents to their game-day roster or the practice squad, as some of their starters deal with injuries. That led to some changes in the days before hosting the Texans in the divisional round, including signing a wide receiver the Bills probably wished they had instead.
Although New England doesn't necessarily need help with their receiving corps, it did sign veteran Trent Sherfield Sr. to the practice squad on Tuesday to add some much-needed depth in case of an emergency.
He might not be a big name or someone most Patriots fans have even heard of, but he is known for his solid run blocking and special-teams skills, traits Mike Vrabel loves for his roster. Whether he gets a shot in the playoffs is yet to be seen, but the best part of signing him is ensuring the Bills couldn't.
That might have reignited their rivalry, even if it wasn't their intention.
The Patriots' latest signing was a good decision for multiple reasons
Buffalo is set to travel to Denver this weekend for their next playoff matchup, and their bad offensive luck reached peak levels in their efforts against the Jaguars on Sunday. They certainly would've entertained the idea of signing Sherfield to their roster again, as he was with the team in 2023, but their biggest divisional rival stole him instead.
They were likely looking at available free-agent receivers to see if anyone might fit what they need, since they lost two pass catchers (Gabe Davis and Tyrell Shavers) to torn ACLs, limiting Josh Allen's weapons going into their biggest game of the season.
Because of Sherfield's familiarity with the team, he would have been an easy signing to boost their depth, even if he wouldn't be used much on game day.
But that's off the table now, and they'll have to look elsewhere if they want to add any more receivers to their roster before Saturday's game. Considering it's the end of the season, there aren't many players available, so that won't be easy.
That makes the Patriots' decision to sign him to their practice squad just a tiny bit sweeter, regardless of whether they ever use him or not.
It would be nice, however, to see what he can do on special teams, since the unit has struggled over the past month. If he can be an instant contributor, that would make the signing the best possible late-season move.