The Patriots announced a handful of roster moves on Tuesday afternoon.
They have signed offensive lineman Brenden Jaimes to the 53-man roster from their practice squad. Defensive tackle Joshua Farmer was placed on injured reserve in a corresponding move. They also signed running back Elijah Mitchell and wide receiver Brandon Smith to the practice squad while releasing tackle Sebastian Gutierrez from that roster.
Jaimes has seen action on special teams in two games this season. He signed with the Patriots after spending the preseason with Tennessee and appeared in 46 games for the Chargers over the last four seasons.
Mitchell played in one game for the Chiefs this season and ran 327 times for 1,523 yards and nine touchdowns in 27 games for the 49ers between 2021 and 2023. He provides the Patriots with additional backfield depth while TreVeyon Henderson is in the concussion protocol.
The Broncos and Seahawks have already claimed playoff berths, but both teams still have plenty to play for in Week 17.
Denver can clinch the top seed in the AFC if they beat the Chiefs on Thursday night while the Chargers, Patriots, Jaguars, and Bills all lose their games. They can also claim the AFC West title with a win and a Chargers loss or tie against the Texans on Saturday. They also win the division with a tie and a Chargers loss.
The Seahawks have a trickier path to the No. 1 seed in the NFC. They need a win over the Panthers on Sunday along with a Rams loss and a tie between the Bears and 49ers. The NFC West will be theirs with a win and losses or ties by both the Rams and the 49ers. A Seahawks tie would be enough if both the Rams and 49ers lose their games.
Elsewhere in the AFC, the Jaguars will win the South with a win over the Colts and a Texans loss or tie while the Patriots will take the East with a win over the Jets and a Bills loss or tie against the Eagles. A Steelers win over the Browns or a Ravens loss to the Packers will make Pittsburgh the AFC North champs.
The Texans will clinch a playoff spot with a win or a Colts loss. The Packers are in a similar situation in the NFC as they’ll book a postseason spot with a win or a Lions loss to the Vikings on Christmas.
The Bears will be the NFC North champs with a win or a Packers loss while the Panthers will take the NFC South with a win and a Bucs loss or tie in Miami.
If the Packers, Texans, Panthers, and Steelers all clinch their playoff spots this week, all 14 playoff berths will be filled before the final week of the regular season.
All things considered, the Patriots received some positive news on Khyiris Tonga.
Per Ian Rapoport of NFL Media, Tonga’s foot injury is slated to keep him out just one or two weeks.
Tonga, who has played both defensive line and fullback for New England this season, had to exit Sunday’s victory over the Ravens midway through the contest.
In his first year with the Patriots, Tonga has been appeared in 14 games with eight starts. He’s registered 24 total tackles with two for loss and two QB hits. He’s played 337 defensive snaps, 65 special teams snaps, and 14 offensive snaps this season.
The Patriots appeared to be in serious trouble on Sunday night when a failed fake punt set up a Ravens fourth-quarter touchdown that gave Baltimore a 24-13 lead. In the end, New England came back and won the game, but coach Mike Vrabel wishes he hadn’t made that call.
Vrabel said today that the fourth-and-10 fake punt attempt that saw linebacker Marte Mapu receive a direct snap and fumble while trying to find someone to throw to had worked in practice but failed in the game.
“It’s something that we had practiced, something that I felt confident in,” Vrabel said. “I wouldn’t have called it if we didn’t feel confident in it. Unfortunately it didn’t work, so it was a bad call by me. Just told Te to throw it, give it a chance, give Jack [Westover] a chance if the guy dropped out of there. He dropped out of there, but tried to give it a chance, and it certainly wasn’t designed to run. He just felt like it wasn’t there and he made a decision. So I made a decision to try the play, I’ll make other calls, and there will be good ones and there will be bad ones as well. So, just felt like we needed something there, and it didn’t go our way. Credit to the guys, kept playing and found a way to win the game.”
After that Ravens touchdown off the Patriots’ fake punt, the Patriots took control, outscoring the Ravens 15-0 the rest of the way to win 28-24. Vrabel can be proud of his players for the way they fought hard to the end, even if he’s not proud of his call on that fake punt.
The Patriots have locked up a member of their offensive line for two more years.
Ben Brown’s agents announced that Brown has signed a contract extension with the team. Per multiple reports, it is a two-year deal with a maximum value of $6.6 million.
Brown has appeared in 15 games for the Patriots this season and he’s made two starts. He started 10 games for the team last season and has experience at both guard and center during his time in the NFL.
All five of the Patriots’ preferred starting offensive linemen are under contract for next season, so Brown gives them a sixth returning player up front for 2026.
