The New England Patriots’ first practice of Week 9 saw the return of two starter-level contributors. Wide receiver Mack Hollins and interior offensive lineman Greg Van Roten made their comebacks after spending multiple weeks on injured reserve due to respective calf and thigh issues.
Even though neither was able to participate in a full capacity on Wednesday, Hollins and Van Roten returning to practice is a positive step for the two of them and the team as a whole. Let’s assess what else it means
from a big-picture perspective.
Clock starts ticking
At least in theory, returning to practice means that both Hollins and Van Roten are now eligible to play in this week’s game against the Green Bay Packers. They would have to be activated from injured reserve to the Patriots’ 53-man roster first, but that move could happen at any point now.
Whether it will actually take place this week or not will be seen. The Patriots are in no rush, however: they have 21 days to make a call before the return window closes again and they would revert back to IR to end their season. The expected outcome is that the two return to the 53-man when all is said and done, potentially as early as this week.
Wide receiver group trending up
Last Sunday against the Miami Dolphins might have been the low point for the Patriots’ wide receiver group, at least personnel-wise. The Patriots were without three of their top four receivers, including Hollins, and had to rely on a starter trio of Efton Chism, Kyle Williams and DeMario Douglas. The group performed well — it caught a combined nine passes for 156 yards and two touchdowns — but a lack of depth forced recently-signed practice squad wideout Ryan Miller to be elevated as an emergency option.
Hollins’ full return whether this week or at a later point will help address the issue.
Before getting hurt in Week 4, he played 63% of New England’s offensive snaps this season and had caught 15 passes for 209 yards. The numbers were not particularly impressive, but the 33-year-old showed some chemistry with quarterback Drake Maye while also being able to be a contributor in the running game; his effective replacement, Chism, has been competitive in that latter area but is lacking Hollins’ size and power.
The Patriots will get all of that back soon, which is an encouraging development for a depleted receiver group that also will be without Romeo Doubs (shoulder) for at least two more weeks. Given that A.J. Brown’s status is also up in the air (knee), Hollins’ pending return has the group trending up again.
Starting questions at guard
Even though the Patriots only signed him in August, Van Roten made the Patriots’ roster out of training camp as a top backup along the interior offensive line. As such, he entered the lineup when right guard Mike Onwenu fractured his ankle in Week 2 against the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Van Roten’s time with the starters lasted only four quarters before he himself got hurt the next week in Jacksonville, but the Patriots do like what he offers. The question is whether that means he will return to the lineup at some point.
Heading into this week’s game versus Green Bay, the starting guards project as Ben Brown and Matt Pryor. Van Roten would likely replace the latter, but there is an argument for the Patriots to prioritize stability over potential upside, at least this week and with the returnee still limited in practice. Ultimately, though, the goal would be for New England — assuming Onwenu is unable to return — to go back to an interior of left guard Alijah Vera-Tucker, center Jared Wilson, and either Van Roten or Brown at right guard.
Vera-Tucker will have to sit out two more games before being eligible to return after New England’s Week 11 bye. At that point, the other pieces will also have fallen into place.
Follow-up moves TBD
The Patriots currently have one open spot on their 53-man roster, and the assumption is that it will be used on one of Hollins or Van Roten either this week or at a subsequent point in time. That still leaves them in need of an extra spot, should they plan on bringing back of them back into the mix (and as mentioned above, that is the team’s intention).
So, how can this roster spot be created? There are multiple ways, even if we exclude the possibility of another player getting hurt and sent to injured reserve. The Patriots could release a backup at the two respective positions, release a backup at another spot with comparatively good depth, or trade a player away ahead of next week’s deadline.
New England releasing one of its wide receivers seems unlikely at this point, but the team could opt to pull the plug on Walter Rouse or Matt Pryor with the intention of retaining them via the practice squad. It also could look at the depth at running back (Lan Larison), tight end (Tanner Arkin) or cornerback (Channing Canada, Karon Prunty) to create that second opening.
As far as trades are concerned, defensive tackle Christian Barmore has been mentioned as a candidate to be moved. So far, however, nothing has materialized.
More return spots taken
Every NFL team has the opportunity to return eight players from injured reserve during the regular season. With Hollins and Van Roten now designated to come back, the Patriots have used up four of those already; they previously brought back wide receiver A.J. Brown and offensive tackle Marcus Bryant from IR.
This means there are four spots left for what is a group currently consisting of seven players: FB Reggie Gilliam, WR Romeo Doubs, RG Mike Onwenu, LG Alijah Vera-Tucker, ED Quintayvious Hutchins, LB Khalil Jacobs, and S Dell Pettus.
Whether or not Hollins or Van Roten actually are activated to the 53-man roster is immaterial to the designation. Their spots count regardless.
