The New England Patriots will be without Dell Pettus for a minimum of four games.
The organization sent the safety to injured reserve on Wednesday morning, as head coach Mike Vrabel announced during his press conference, and promoted outside linebacker Jose Ramirez to the 53-man roster in a corresponding move.
Pettus, 25, suffered an ankle injury on special teams in the second quarter of last weekend’s 20-3 win over the Pittsburgh Steelers. He was downgraded from questionable to out along with fellow
safety Craig Woodson by the end of the home opener at Gillette Stadium.
Signed as undrafted free agent in 2024, Pettus made the initial active roster in Foxborough as a rookie and has appeared in all 36 games since then as well as Super Bowl LX. Making a pair of starts in the secondary, the 5-foot-11, 200-pound Troy alum stands with 471 snaps on defense and 579 snaps on special teams in his NFL career. He has notched 56 tackles, two sacks, one forced fumble and one first down as the personal punt protector.
A September signing will take the open spot for New England.
Ramirez, 27, joined the 17-man practice squad in the days following the league’s cutdown deadline and gets the call-up on the heels of recent Dre’Mont Jones and Quintayvious Hutchins ailments off the edges. Entering the NFL in the sixth round of the 2023 draft at No. 196 overall, the former MAC Defensive Player of the Year by way of Arizona, Riverside City College and Eastern Michigan has appeared in four career games.
After setting out with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, with whom he saw 30 snaps on defense and 40 snaps on special teams, Ramirez spent last year with the CFL’s Hamilton Tiger-Cats before circling back. The 6-foot-2, 252-pound outside linebacker signed a futures contract with the Philadelphia Eagles in January and was waived at the conclusion of training camp.
“Been a really good practice player for us,” Vrabel said of promoting Ramirez. “I think he’s improved since the time he’s been here, multiple times being recognized. He’s taken the reps that we talk about being on the show team and using those to his advantage. So, whether they’ll be an opportunity, we’ll see, for him to be able to help us this week when we get down to the 48-man roster.”
The Jacksonville Jaguars host next Sunday’s 1 p.m. ET kickoff at EverBank Stadium.
