Some familiar faces will meet again at Gillette Stadium.
Between the active rosters, practice squads and reserve lists, seven players in the fold for Sunday’s AFC East matchup have been both New England Patriots and New York Jets during their NFL careers.
Here’s a glance through the list of former Patriots and former Jets ahead of the 1 p.m. ET kickoff.
NEW YORK
Andrew Beck, fullback — Entering the NFL as part of the 2019 undrafted class in Foxborough, Beck was waived by the Patriots at the 53-man roster deadline
following his rookie training camp. The Texas Longhorns product was claimed by the Denver Broncos that Labor Day weekend and has since taken the field for 92 games, including 24 starts. A past recipient of the NFL’s Salute to Service Award, his career includes 31 receptions for 259 yards and five touchdowns. The 30-year-old fullback has also lent a hand with one rushing touchdown. Beck made his way back to the AFC East as a futures signing in 2025 after stints with the Green Bay Packers and Houston Texans.
Chukwuma Okorafor, offensive tackle — Eleven months into a one-year deal, the Patriots released Okorafor before waiting for the 2025 league year to open. The offensive tackle played 12 snaps on the blindside in his lone New England start before being replaced and placed on the left squad list. He reverted to the reserves for the remainder of that 4-13 campaign after the club’s roster exemption expired. Okorafor has gone on to sign consecutive one-year pacts with the Jets. He has appeared in 19 games during his time in Florham Park, with 62 of his 63 downs coming in the kicking game. The 29-year-old originally entered the league with the Pittsburgh Steelers in the third round of the 2018 draft at No. 92 overall. A Western Michigan alum, his run spans 97 games and 60 starts.
NEW ENGLAND
Morgan Moses, offensive tackle — Voted a team captain out of training camp, Moses has played 1,349 offensive snaps for the Patriots since arriving on a three-year contract as an unrestricted free agent in 2025. The 35-year-old right tackle has started all 22 games in the regular season over that span. Entering the NFL out of Virginia in the third round of the 2014 draft at No. 66 overall, Moses finds himself with 188 appearances and 180 starts on his odometer. He made previous stops with the Washington Commanders and Baltimore Ravens. And he’s been a Jet twice, as well, beginning in 2021 and circling back in 2024 via trade. A total of 30 starts were notched during his previous tours in the division.
Alijah Vera-Tucker, guard — The Patriots landed Vera-Tucker on a three-year agreement as NFL free agency kicked off in March. The veteran addition has started all five contests at left guard this fall and stayed in for 100 perfect of the workload for the offensive line. He finds himself the team’s last ironman at this point in October. Selected by the Jets in the first round of the 2021 draft class at No. 14 overall, Vera-Tucker appeared in 43 out of a possible 85 games with his previous employer. The past PFWA All-Rookie honoree from USC sustained a torn triceps in 2022, a torn Achilles in 2023 and a torn triceps in 2025. When healthy, the 27-year-old has started every game he’s appeared in during his time in the league.
Greg Van Roten, guard — Van Roten was placed on New England’s injured reserve at the end of September after suffering a thigh injury during his first start of the year at right guard. He had been called upon there after tenured incumbent Mike Onwenu landed on injured reserve due to a fractured ankle. The 36-year-old Van Roten visited Gillette Stadium during training camp and soon returned to a sign a one-year deal. A veteran of 147 games, including 106 starts, the former All-Ivy League offensive tackle out of Penn began his career as an undrafted rookie in 2012. He has been a member of nine different NFL organizations in addition to the CFL’s Toronto Argonauts over the years since then. Count the Jets among the previous. Van Roten started 23 of his 30 games before being released in the spring of 2022 with one year left on a three-year pact.
Xavier Newman-Johnson, guard — After being hosted by the Patriots as a free agent midway through September, Newman-Johnson signed to the practice squad. The 27-year-old interior offensive lineman had been released from the Jets’ practice squad before headed to Foxborough. He stands 25 games into his run in the NFL and with a handful of starts. Originally entering the league with the Tennessee Titans as an undrafted free agent in 2022, the Baylor product spent parts of two campaigns with head coach Mike Vrabel’s former team before heading to the AFC East. Newman-Johnson, who resided between the practice squad, 53-man roster and injured reserve while in Florham Park, has seen 338 snaps on offense and 68 snaps on special teams.
Leonard Taylor III, defensive tackle — The Patriots added Taylor to the practice squad one October ago after he cleared waivers via the Jets. The 27-year-old defensive tackle went on to become a seven-time standard elevation on the journey to Super Bowl LX and reached a futures contract in February. Nine tackles and a blocked field goal in the AFC title game had been registered by then. Taylor worked his way onto the initial 53-man roster entering 2026. He got the first sack of his stay with the defending division winners last Sunday. The 2024 undrafted free agent by way of the Miami Hurricanes checked into 16 games while with New York, tallying 27 tackles, 2.5 sacks and a pair of batted passes.
