There’s the Josh McDaniels connection. There’s the Tom Brady connection. And then there’s those in the AFC East and AFC West locker rooms.
Between the active rosters, practice squads and reserve lists, eight players in the fold for Sunday have been both New England Patriots and Las Vegas Raiders during the NFL journeys.
Here’s a glance through the list of the formers leading up to the 1 p.m. ET kickoff at Gillette Stadium.
LAS VEGAS
Phillip Dorsett II, wide receiver — Dorsett has not made appearance beyond the
preseason since 2023. But the No. 29 overall pick in the 2015 NFL draft has continued his career in Las Vegas as a member of the practice squad over the past two campaigns. That’s after making a previous stop there when New England’s current offensive coordinator held the title of head coach. The 33-year-old wide receiver has caught 151 passes for 2,001 yards and 12 touchdowns since entering the league out of the University of Miami more than a decade ago. In 2017, he landed in Foxborough at the 53-man roster deadline as the Indianapolis Colts landed quarterback Jacoby Brissett. From there, Dorsett reeled in 73 passes for 881 yards and eight touchdowns across 45 games in the regular season. The playoffs stretched additional 126 yards and two trips to the end zone. A Super Bowl LIII ring followed.
Adam Butler, defensive tackle — Butler entered the league at Gillette Stadium as an undrafted free agent in 2017. The former Vanderbilt convert from the offensive line to the defensive line went on to appear in 63 games, starting 12, while having a hand in 96 tackles, 15 sacks and nine batted passes. After being retained on a restricted tender in 2020, the Super Bowl LIII champion moved on to another corner of the AFC East. Yet Butler was released by the Miami Dolphins with a failed physical designation in 2022 and spent the year out of football. The 32-year-old defensive tackle has since found his footing in Las Vegas over the past four seasons. Butler’s time in silver and black has spanned 53 games, 32 starts, 152 tackles and 11.5 sacks. He’s also knocked down six passes, forced two fumbles and recovered two fumbles.
Patrick Johnson, defensive end — Now on the 53-man roster for the Raiders, Johnson had seen his agreement in Foxborough expire in February. The 28-year-old edge rusher joined the practice squad of the 2025 AFC champions during preparations for Super Bowl LX. Originally entering entering the NFL in the seventh round of the 2021 draft at No. 234 overall, Johnson was a member of the Philadelphia Eagles’ Super Bowl LVII team and has also spent time with the New York Giants as a waiver claim. The Tulane product has checked into 74 games in the regular season while totaling 50 tackles, one sack, one forced fumble and one recovery as well as a pair of starts.
Cameron McGrone, linebacker — The Patriots called McGrone’s name in the fifth round of the 2021 class at No. 177 overall. But with a redshirt year on deck after the Michigan product sustained a second torn ACL during his final Big Ten season. McGrone started and finished his rookie campaign on the non-football injury list despite having his 21-day practice window open. After going through the waiver wire unclaimed at the end of the 2022 preseason, McGrone was brought back on New England’s practice squad. He’d depart for a 53-man roster spot in Indianapolis that winter, however, and the 26-year-old linebacker’s stay in the AFC South stretched into 2025. A stint with the Cleveland Browns followed before heading to the desert in May. McGrone then joined the Raiders’ practice squad at its formation. His NFL career includes 27 appearances and 13 tackles through 51 snaps on defense and 390 snaps on special teams.
NEW ENGLAND
Mack Hollins, wide receiver — The 33-year-old Hollins agreed to terms with the Patriots on a two-year deal as an unrestricted free agent in 2025. The move reunited the veteran wide receiver with his head coach from 2022. Hollins found four touchdowns and career highs with 94 targets, 57 receptions and 690 yards while a member of McDaniels’ Raiders that season. He now stands 131 games, 56 starts, 223 catches, 2,828 yards and 17 touchdowns into an NFL run that began in the fourth round of the 2017 draft at No. 118 overall. The former North Carolina Tar Heel won a Super Bowl LII while a rookie in Philadelphia. Tours with six different NFL clubs have been logged. He leads his current club in receptions and receiving yards while also being tied with Romeo Doubs in targets, but did not finish the first game of October due to a calf injury.
Ben Brown, guard — Back in the starting lineup amid attrition, Brown has appeared in 30 games since New England signed him to the 53-man roster off the practice squad of Las Vegas in the fall of 2024. Taking the field at center, left guard, right guard and jumbo tight end, the 28-year-old offensive lineman has handled 1,086 downs on offense for the organization. He’s also gotten the nod for 15 starts, with the first of his NFL career coming same week he left Las Vegas and the latest in place of two veterans on injured reserve. Brown made his initial stops with the Cincinnati Bengals, Seattle Seahawks and Arizona Cardinals after going undrafted in 2022. The Ole Miss product reached a contract extension in December and returned to the active roster shortly after being released in a procedural move in August.
Greg Van Roten, guard — The 36-year-old Van Roten visited Gillette Stadium during training camp and circled back to sign a one-year deal after the aforementioned backup interior lineman suffered a multiweek injury. He started at right guard in New England’s first game without incumbent Mike Onwenu. But a thigh injury has since sent the NFL veteran of 147 games and 106 starts to IR, as well. Van Roten began his career as an undrafted rookie with the Green Bay Packers in 2012. The All-Ivy League offensive tackle out of Penn has been a member of nine different NFL teams as well as the CFL’s Toronto Argonauts over the years since then. And in 2023, his lone year in Las Vegas, he started all 17 games before going wire-to-wire in 2024 and 2025 with the New York Giants.
Robert Spillane, linebacker — Spillane finds himself a back-to-back team captain for the Patriots after reaching a three-year pact entering the 2025 league year. The 30-year-old Western Michigan alum has appeared in 103 games, starting 67, since entering the NFL in 2018 as an undrafted tryout at rookie minicamp with head coach Mike Vrabel’s former Tennessee Titans. Spillane went on to spend four seasons with the Pittsburgh Steelers before heading to Las Vegas in 2023. From there, the linebacker became a Raiders captain and started every game across two campaigns, respectively posting 148 and 158 tackles as well as 1,101 and 1,095 defensive snaps. A veteran of 623 tackles and 9.5 sacks, Spillane’s NFL odometer includes three forced fumbles, two fumble recoveries, eight interceptions and one touchdown return.
