A weekend departure is on track to be back at Gillette Stadium.
Defensive tackle Jeremiah Pharms Jr. intends to re-sign with the New England Patriots’ practice squad after clearing waivers on Monday, as
reported by Mike Reiss of ESPN.
The 6-foot-2, 300-pound free agent had been let go from the 53-man roster to make room for the activations of offensive tackle Will Campbell and defensive tackle Milton Williams from injured reserve.
Pharms, 29, earned a promotion ahead of last week’s game against the New York Jets. He previously served as a standard elevation versus the Cincinnati Bengals in November and the New York Giants in December after making the initial active roster in August.
Standing 31 games and a handful of starts into his time in Foxborough, Pharms made stops with the Champions Indoor Football League’s Wichita Force and USFL’s Pittsburgh Maulers before entering the NFL ranks ahead of training camp in 2022. Across 594 snaps on defense and 128 snaps on special teams, he has tallied 45 tackles, two sacks and one fumble recovery in his career.
The former linebacker went undrafted in 2020 by way of Sacramento City College, San Joaquin Delta College and Friends University.
A corresponding move will follow to make room on New England’s practice squad. For now, the 16-man group sits at capacity.
Center Brenden Jaimes and defensive tackle Leonard Taylor III reverted to the practice squad on Monday. Both served as standard call-ups for what became a 38-10 win over the Miami Dolphins in the finale.
Jaimes, 26, has seen 22 snaps on offense and 28 snaps on special teams for the Patriots since agreeing to terms in September. A three-time elevation, the vested veteran re-signed to the practice squad on New Year’s Day after clearing waivers via the 53-man roster. Selected in the fifth round of the 2021 NFL draft at No. 159 overall, Jaimes has appeared in 50 games and started three in his career. The 6-foot-5, 300-pound Nebraska alum accrued four years with the Los Angeles Chargers before spending last offseason with the Tennessee Titans.
Taylor, 23, notched a pair of tackles as well as a third-and-9 quarterback hit on Sunday. It marked the 6-foot-3, 305-pound defensive lineman’s third elevation since landing on the practice squad in October. His stay in Foxborough has included 52 defensive snaps. Entering the league with the Jets as an undrafted free agent out of the University of Miami in 2024, he finds himself with 35 tackles, 1.5 sacks through 19 career appearances. A pair of batted passes and a handful of stops for loss have arrived along the way.
The 14-3 AFC East champions enter the playoffs with the No. 2 seed and will host the Chargers in the wild-card round next Sunday. Kickoff is set for 8 p.m. ET.
