If the New England Patriots planned on activating wide receiver N’Keal Harry this week, they needed to remove a player from their 53-man roster.
They did just that Tuesday, cutting tight end Eric Tomlinson. The Patriots also released kicker Mike Nugent, whom they reportedly will replace with Nick Folk, and cut offensive lineman Aaron Monteiro from their practice squad.
Harry, the Patriots’ top pick in the 2019 NFL Draft (32nd overall), has spent the entire season on injured reserve after suffering a hamstring injury in New England’s preseason opener. The Arizona State product returned to practice two weeks ago and is eligible to make his NFL debut Sunday night against the Baltimore Ravens, assuming the team adds him to the roster by then.
Head coach Bill Belichick has not indicated whether the team intends to activate Harry before Sunday — it has until next Tuesday to do so — but Tomlinson’s release suggests that move could be imminent.
“It’s good to have him back out there and see him working,” Belichick said of Harry on Tuesday. “I’d say each day, as you would expect, a little more improvement and confidence and taking things a little bit further than the day before. But he’s missed a lot of time. He still has a long way to go. He’s definitely trending in the right direction. We just have to evaluate where it is and what helps the team the most here.”
Tomlinson played two games for the Patriots as a hybrid tight end/fullback, catching one pass on one target for 1 yard.
