A vested veteran has joined the active roster in Foxborough.
The New England Patriots announced the promotion of offensive lineman Brenden Jaimes from the practice squad on Tuesday. To make room among the 53, the organization placed defensive tackle Joshua Farmer on injured reserve.
Jaimes, 26, served as a standard elevation against the New York Giants and Carolina Panthers after heading to Gillette Stadium as a free agent in September. He handled 14 snaps on special teams in that capacity and now
joins an active interior line that recently saw starting left guard Jared Wilson enter the NFL’s concussion protocol.
Selected in the fifth round of the 2021 draft, Jaimes finds himself 48 NFL games in. The 6-foot-5, 300-pound Nebraska alum accrued four seasons with the Los Angeles Chargers before spending this past training camp with the Tennessee Titans. A three-game starter, he has seen 247 snaps on offense and 211 snaps in the kicking game.
Farmer, 22, had been ruled out due to a hamstring injury after exiting in the first quarter of Sunday’s game versus the Baltimore Ravens. The 6-foot-3, 312-pound defensive tackle will now finish his rookie regular season on injured reserve.
Taken in the fourth round of April’s NFL draft at No. 137 overall, Farmer has appeared in 13 games during his stay. The Florida State product stands with 15 tackles, including one for loss, as well as one fumble recovery and one batted pass. He has made three starts and stayed in the rotation for 224 defensive snaps.
In additional transactions, the Patriots signed running back Elijah Mitchell and wide receiver Brandon Smith to the practice squad on Tuesday, while releasing offensive tackle Sebastian Gutierrez in a corresponding move.
Mitchell, 27, joins a backfield room that recently saw NFL Offensive Rookie of the Month TreVeyon Henderson land in concussion protocol. The 5-foot-10, 215-pounder out of Louisiana entered the NFL with the San Francisco 49ers in the sixth round of the 2021 draft at No. 194 overall. He moved on to the Kansas City Chiefs as the new league year opened and was waived last weekend after appearing in one game. Through 28 contests, including a dozen starts, Mitchell has totaled 1,523 rushing yards, 158 receiving yards and 10 touchdowns over the course of 355 touches from scrimmage.
Smith, 27, adds depth to New England’s wideout group after Kayshon Boutte’s concussion and DeMario Douglas’ hamstring injury at M&T Bank Stadium. The 6-foot-1, 218-pound Iowa product signed with the Dallas Cowboys as an undrafted free agent in 2021. He spent parts of two campaigns on the NFC East practice squad before joining the XFL and circling back with the Arizona Cardinals and New York Jets. Three appearances have come as a standard elevation.
Gutierrez, 27, rejoined New England at the end of September after previously logging a week on the practice squad as a rookie in 2022. The 6-foot-5, 308-pound undrafted offensive tackle out of Minot State has also been a member of the Denver Broncos, Las Vegas Raiders, Kansas City Chiefs, Cleveland Browns, San Francisco 49ers and Indianapolis Colts. His career includes multiple return tours, as well as two appearances as an elevation.
Head coach Mike Vrabel’s 12-3 side will visit MetLife Stadium for a 1 p.m. ET divisional kickoff on Sunday.
