One day after their win over the Miami Dolphins, the New England Patriots decided to part ways with a member of their safety group. Elliott Davison, who had originally joined the 53-man roster from the practice squad in mid-October, was waived.
Let’s assess what the move means for the Patriots from a big-picture perspective.
Unsurprising move
When the Patriots announced their inactives on Sunday, the six-players list included four healthy scratches. Davison was one of them, reflecting his position near the bottom of the roster
and the volatile status of his spot on the 53-man team.
From that perspective alone, him getting the axe on Monday was no particular surprise — and that’s before putting injured reserve into consideration as well. After all, wide receiver Mack Hollins and fullback Reggie Gilliam are both eligible to return to practice and subsequently off IR this week, while offensive tackle Marcus Bryant’s 21-day window for activation is set to close on Wednesday.
New England had no openings on its roster coming out of Week 8. It now has one, and it is likely to be used sooner rather than later.
Safety shakeup
The Patriots have had to deal with their fair share of depth questions across the roster this season, but the safety spot has been in relatively good shape. Led by team captain Kevin Byard and sophomore starter Craig Woodson, the group has enjoyed a level of stability others on the team can only dream of.
Removing Davison from the equation does little to change that, given that he was the sixth option and played only 10 defensive snaps — all late during a blowout win over the Raiders in Week 5.
53-man roster (5): Kevin Byard III (31), Craig Woodson (4), Jaylen Reed (23), Brenden Schooler (41), Mike Brown (33)
Injured reserve (1): Dell Pettus (24)
The big question mark among the group is Dell Pettus, who remains on injured reserve despite being eligible to come back since Week 7. Should he be cleared for a return, he and Mike Brown might end up competing for one spot on the team as a backup/third safety and personal punt protector.
Special teams impact
Before being made inactive for the Dolphins game on Sunday, Davison saw most of his action on special teams. He played 57 combined snaps during his three active games, a share of 67% over that span.
He lined up on kickoff coverage, kickoff return, punt return and field goal/extra point block — roles that were already redistributed versus Miami. From that point of view, his removal from the 53-man roster will not have a notable impact: he already had been replaced in that regard.
Return possible
An undrafted rookie in 2025, Davison will have to pass through the waiver wire before entering the open market. There is a theoretical chance that a team ends up putting in a claim on the 24-year-old to bring him aboard, but the expected outcome is that he won’t be picked up that way.
If so, the Patriots re-signing him to their practice squad seems like a realistic option. Davison already spent most of the early parts of the regular season on New England’s “second roster.”
If such a move were to happen, however, a follow-up would be necessary. The addition of running back Terrell Jennings on Monday means that the club currently has a full 16 players — not counting offensive tackle Lorenz Metz, who is exempt — signed to the practice squad.
