The Patriots re-signed wide receiver Austin Collie on Thursday, which meant they needed to make another roster move to open up a space for him.
They did that by placing wide receiver Josh Boyce on injured reserve. Boyce missed Week 17 with an ankle injury and didn’t practice at all this week, leading to the decision to shut him down.
Boyce, a fourth-round pick in April, had nine catches for 121 yards during the regular season. He also returned nine kickoffs for 214 yards while seeing action in nine games for the Pats this season.
The Patriots have also been without wide receiver Aaron Dobson at practice this week. Dobson re-injured his foot in Week 17, leaving his status for next weekend’s game up in the air.