The New England Patriots made several additions to their 53-man roster Saturday — and one notable removal.
Ahead of Sunday’s Week 13 matchup with the Los Angeles Chargers, the Patriots signed wide receiver Donte Moncrief and defensive tackle Akeem Spence from the practice squad, activated tight end Dalton Keene off injured reserve and elevated outside linebacker Rashod Berry from the practice squad.
They also waived receiver Isaiah Ford, who did not appear in a game after being acquired from the Miami Dolphins ahead of the NFL trade deadline.
Ford dressed but did not play in New England’s Week 10 win over the Baltimore Ravens, then was inactive against the Houston Texans and Arizona Cardinals, having been jumped on the depth chart by Moncrief.
The Patriots gave up a conditional 2022 sixth-round draft pick in their trade for Ford.
Moncrief and Spence both played well in last week’s upset win over Arizona, with the former returning a kickoff 53 yards to set up a Patriots touchdown and the latter standing out in run defense.
Moncrief logged just five offensive snaps in two games as an elevated practice squadder but has earned praise for his work on special teams. The 27-year-old also could begin taking snaps from struggling second-year wideout N’Keal Harry.
Keene gets the nod over fellow third-round rookie tight end Devin Asiasi, who also is eligible to return from IR. The Virginia Tech product has appeared in just one game this season, catching one pass on one target for 8 yards in a Week 7 loss to the San Francisco 49ers.
Asiasi played in five games before landing on IR and has yet to be targeted. He returned to practice last week and made the trip to L.A., where the Patriots will remain between Sunday’s game against the Chargers and this Thursday’s clash with the Rams. New England has until Dec. 16 to activate Asiasi.
This is Berry’s second elevation. The undrafted Ohio State product also can play tight end if in a pinch.
