Another loss has been taken in the New England Patriots’ trenches.
The organization officially placed Greg Van Roten on injured reserve Tuesday afternoon, sidelining the veteran offensive lineman for a minimum of four games.
Van Roten, 36, started at right guard against the Jacksonville Jaguars after incumbent Mike Onwenu sustained a broken ankle and landed on injured reserve the week prior. But in the second quarter of what became a 35-6 loss at EverBank Stadium, the second-stringer exited for the blue
medical tent and was announced as questionable to return because of a thigh injury.
No return followed. August trade acquisition Walter Rouse stepped in to play the final 41 offensive snaps of the Sunday runaway.
The 6-foot-3, 305-pound Van Roten visited Foxborough as a free agent amid training camp. And after previous top backup interior lineman Ben Brown sustained a multiweek injury in the preseason opener, a one-year deal was reached.
A veteran of 147 games, including 106 starts, Van Roten began his career as an undrafted rookie in 2012. Over the years since then, the former All-Ivy League offensive tackle out of Penn has been a member of nine different NFL clubs in addition to the CFL’s Toronto Argonauts. In 2024 and 2025 with the New York Giants, he posted consecutive wire-to-wire seasons with 100 percent of the offensive snaps.
New England now stands with two vacant spots on the active roster after losing multiple players to IR before falling to 1-2.
In additional movement, the Patriots released linebacker Riley Wilson from the practice squad on Tuesday, opening a spot among the 17-man group.
Wilson, 24, signed as an undrafted free agent ahead of training camp in July. The 6-foot-1, 226-pound off-ball rookie was waived and retained on the practice squad after going unclaimed at the 53-man roster deadline. A former transfer from Hawaii to Montana, he finished his collegiate career at Arizona last fall. Altogether, Wilson appeared in 52 collegiate games and totaled 193 tackles, 16 sacks and two interceptions.
The Buffalo Bills host the previous AFC East champions at Highmark Stadium on Sunday. Kickoff is set for 1 p.m. ET.
