The New England Patriots have made a series of roster moves, including signing safety Joshuah Bledsoe to the 53-man roster before their Week 17 matchup with the Buffalo Bills.
In addition, the team placed JuJu Smith-Schuster (ankle) on the injured reserve, ending his season. The Patriots also elevated TE Matt Sokol and OT Andrew Stuber from the practice squad.
Bledsoe, 25, will make his 2023 debut on Sunday. Last season he played 22 defensive snaps for the Patriots. The Patriots drafted the University of Missouri alum in the sixth round of the 2021 draft. He has since appeared in three regular season contests.
Bledsoe had a solid preseason the past two years, which has kept him around on the team’s practice squad. In college, Bledsoe played in 42 games, registering 131 total tackles, a sack, and two forced fumbles. Earlier in the day, the Patriots ruled out Jabrill Peppers (hamstring), so Bledsoe provides more depth to the safety position.
To make room for Joshuah Bledsoe on the active roster, the Patriots placed WR JuJu Smith-Schuster on the season-ending IR. Smith-Schuster suffered an ankle injury in Week 14 when facing off with his former team: the Pittsburgh Steelers. Against the Steelers, Smith-Schuster recorded his best game with the Patriots, hauling in four passes for a season-high 90 yards. The wideout will end his debut season in Foxboro with 260 yards on 47 targets and 29 catches. He scored once in 11 games.
In addition to placing JuJu Smith-Schuster on the IR, the Patriots ruled out receiver Kayshon Boutte (illness). As a result, the Patriot’s receiver depth chart will only consist of DeVante Parker, DeMario Douglas, Tyquan Thornton, and Jalen Reagor. The Patriots have lost their top two receivers (Kendrick Bourne and JuJu Smith-Schuster) to injury this season.
Finally, the Patriots elevated TE Matt Sokol and OT Andrew Stueber from the practice squad to the active roster.
Sokol, 28, was elevated last week against the Broncos but didn’t register any statistics. The elevation indicates that Hunter Henry’s (knee) status could be in doubt for the second straight week. Last week, Hunter Henry missed his first game since 2021. Sokol played ten offensive snaps last week and was behind Mike Gesicki and Pharoh Brown on the depth chart. The Patriots cliamed the Michigan product in 2019. The undrafted free agent appeared in three games with the Patriots.
Stuber, 24. is also being elevated to the active roster. It’ll mark the first elevation for the 6-foot-6, 318-pounder since entering the NFL in 2022. The Patriots drafted Stueber in the seventh round out of Michigan. The tackle spent his rookie campaign on the NFI list and at the end of the summer the Patriots waived the 24-year old. However it wasn’t long until Stuber signed back to the practice squad.
Ahead of the AFC East rematch eight members of the 53-man roster remain questionable.
The Patriots and Bills kick-off at 1:00 p.m. ET at Highmark Stadium. The game can be viewed locally on CBS.
My name is Ben Belford-Peltzman and I am the creator and writer of The Patriots Beat. I am a 17-year kid who is an optimistic pessimist about the City of Champions. I started The Patriots Beat in August of 2022 and never expected to grow so much but here we are. Feel free to email Thepatriotsbeat@gmail.com with any inquires.
