Patriots Reportedly Signing Tight End Ahead Of Week 17 Bills Game

The Patriots are adding some additional tight end depth for the penultimate game of their 2023 season.

New England is signing free agent La’Michael Pettway to its practice squad ahead of its Week 17 matchup with the Buffalo Bills, according to multiple reports Tuesday night.

KPRC’s Aaron Wilson was the first to report the impending transaction.

The Patriots are familiar with Pettway, having hosted him for one tryout in July 2022 and another last month. The 26-year-old spent time with the Indianapolis Colts this summer and played two seasons in the USFL for the Birmingham Stallions and Michigan Panthers.

Pettway played his college ball at Iowa State and Arkansas, playing three seasons under former Patriots assistant Bret Bielema at the latter. He joins fellow tight end Matt Sokol on New England’s P-squad.

It’s unclear whether the addition of Pettway is at all related to the health of starting tight end Hunter Henry, who missed Sunday night’s win over the Broncos with a knee injury. Henry practiced in a limited capacity last Friday but did not travel to Denver.

Mike Gesicki (two catches, 15 yards, one touchdown) and Pharaoh Brown (two catches, 25 yards) picked up the slack in the Week 16 victory, with Sokol logging 10 snaps as a gameday call-up.