With three more New England players landing on the reserve/COVID-19 list Saturday, the Patriots are calling up a quartet of practice squadders to fill out their roster for Sunday’s matchup against the Denver Broncos.
The Patriots are promoting wide receiver Isaiah Zuber, defensive tackle Nick Thurman and edge rusher Rashod Berry to the gameday roster as COVID replacements and temporarily elevating offensive lineman Caleb Benenoch, according to a report from ESPN’s Mike Reiss. Expect all four to be active Sunday.
Thurman will fill the void left by Byron Cowart, who remains on the reserve/COVID-19 list after testing positive last weekend.
Berry, an undrafted free agent who primarily played tight end at Ohio State, is a de facto replacement for Derek Rivers, who landed on the COVID list Saturday. This will be his first NFL game.
Benenoch, a veteran who started 16 games for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2018, will provide O-line depth. The Patriots placed reserve center/guard James Ferentz and starting right guard Shaq Mason on the COVID list Friday and Saturday, respectively.
This will be Zuber’s third consecutive call-up to the active roster. New England has utilized the UDFA’s speed and elusiveness on jet sweeps and reverses.
Five Patriots players currently are on the reserve/COVID-19 list: Cowart, Rivers, Ferentz, Mason and running back Sony Michel, who also is on injured reserve.
