With their first trip to the playoffs in four years coming up, the New England Patriots are busy trying to prepare their roster as well as possible for the challenges ahead. To do so, they made multiple moves on Tuesday.
They designated Milton Williams to return from injured reserve; they placed fellow defensive tackle Joshua Farmer on IR because of a hamstring injury; they signed offensive lineman Brenden Jaimes to fill Farmer’s spot on the 53-man roster; they made changes to their practice squad.
They also, to top it all off, signed O-lineman Ben Brown to a two-year contract extension.
It’s a lot. So, let’s break it down.
DT Milton Williams: Designated to return
Window open: The Patriots designating Williams to return off their injured reserve list does not automatically add him to the 53-man roster yet, but it does open a 21-day window for him to practice and get ready for game action. Of course, the team can activate him at any point within those three weeks. If it does not do so by January 13, however, he would remain on injured reserve and be out for the rest of the season.
53 on notice: Once Williams is deemed ready to return in full — something that very well could happen as early as this week — the Patriots will need to clear a spot on their active roster for him. At this point in the season, they effectively have two ways of doing so: releasing a player from their 53-man team, or sending somebody to injured reserve. His return to practice is therefore only the first shoe to drop.
Good timing: The Patriots’ interior defensive line is being tested at the moment. Not only is the aforementioned Joshua Farmer headed to injured reserve, the team also will have to spend one to two weeks without Khyiris Tonga. Time will tell how quickly Williams will be back on the field to help offset those losses, and then some, but his return to practice is a positive development nonetheless.
DT Joshua Farmer: Placed on IR
Depth impact: As noted above, the Patriots are facing some challenges along their defensive line at the moment, and Farmer going to injured reserve does not make matters any easier. With him and Milton Williams on IR, and Khyiris Tonga dealing with a foot issue of his own, New England is down to three healthy defensive tackles on its active roster: Christian Barmore, Cory Durden and Eric Gregory. In addition, the team has Jeremiah Pharms Jr, Leonard Taylor and Fabien Lovett on its practice squad as an extra layer of depth. One of the three getting elevated to the game day roster against the New York Jets on Sunday could happen, especially if Williams is not activated in time.
Return TBD: Per NFL rules, Farmer will have to sit out a minimum of four games while on injured reserve. This very much puts a question mark over the rest of his season. He will at least miss the final two games of the regular season, plus the Patriots’ playoff opener in either the wild card or divisional round. Anything beyond that first postseason game will depend on the team’s success and his ability to work his way back from the hamstring ailment that landed him on IR in the first place.
OL Brenden Jaimes: Signed to 53-man roster
Injury fallout: The Patriots picking Brenden Jaimes to fill Joshua Farmer’s spot on the active roster over, for example, an extra defensive tackle seems curious at first glance. However, the decision likely has to do with the state of the offensive line and particular Jared Wilson being placed in concussion protocol. Should Wilson miss time — a move that would prompt Ben Brown to start at left guard — New England might prefer having Jaimes available as an extra layer of depth while still retaining flexibility with their practice squad elevations. The 26-year-old himself would have had only one such elevation left this season.
Experienced call-up: Why would the Patriots prefer Jaimes as depth over already-rostered Caedan Wallace? Experience probably has a lot to do with it. While Wallace is a developmental interior O-lineman, who made the. move from tackle to guard this offseason, Jaimes has appeared in 48 career games with three starts, accumulating 274 offensive snaps — not a lot, but still more than what Wallace has to offer. He also has superior versatility, having played all three interior spots.
OL Ben Brown: Signed to 2-year extension
Free agent taken care of: Brown was originally scheduled to enter restricted free agency next spring, but the Patriots were not willing to let that happen. This, in turn, reduces the number of free agents left for New England to take care of in 2026 to 17, including seven in the unrestricted category.
Reasonable investment: The full details of Brown’s extension are not yet available, but the base value will come in at around $5 million over two years. For a backup player with some starter experience and solid performances on his résumé, that is a solid investment and certainly more feasible than the three available restricted free agency tenders. The lowest of those is projected at around $3.5 million for 2026, pending the salary cap figure for next year, per Over The Cap. It seems likely that Brown will be cheaper than that in 2026, while also adding an extra year of team control.
RB Elijah Mitchell and WR Brandon Smith: Signed to practice squad
Injury insurance: The Patriots’ practice squad moves come in light of two Patriots joining the aforementioned Jared Wilson in concussion protocol: running back TreVeyon Henderson and wide receiver Kayshon Boutte are both dealing with head injuries as well and are unclear projections for Week 17. If one or both are unable to go this week, Mitchell and Smith could come in handy as extra bodies in practice and possible game day elevations.
Elevation potential: Smith getting elevated seems unlikely at this point given that the team has more experienced options in the system available on the practice squad (John Jiles, Jeremiah Webb). Mitchell, on the other hand, might be a player to watch given that he is a veteran of 35 total NFL games and one of only four healthy RBs available besides Rhamondre Stevenson, D’Ernest Johnson and Jashaun Corbin.
Positive sign? In what could be interpreted as a positive sign, the Patriots also decided to release offensive tackle Sebastian Gutierrez from their practice squad to help make room for Mitchell and Smith. Why? Because both starting right tackle Morgan Moses and third tackle Thayer Munford Jr. were banged up against the Ravens, but it seems there are no concerns to the point where the extra layer of depth Gutierrez would have provided was seen as vital.
