Patriots Poach Bears Rookie; Place Hyped-Up Defender On Injured Reserve

The Patriots have quickly been hit with the injury bug.

New England was forced to make a pair of roster moves Wednesday. The Patriots signed rookie defensive lineman Jamree Kromah to the active roster from the Chicago Bears' practice squad and placed linebacker Oshane Ximines on injured reserve.

Ximines' placement on IR came rather quickly, as he suffered a knee injury in Sunday's loss to the Seattle Seahawks. The Patriots did not reveal the extent of the ailment, though a trip to injured reserve will keep the 27-year-old off the field for at least four weeks.

The Patriots had high expectations for Ximines entering the season, as Jerod Mayo gave him a shoutout during training camp.

"There are definitely guys that are showing up in really two phases; let's count special teams, as well," Mayo said. "It's good to see those guys get better, and ... if we want to win games, we have to have good players, and it's exciting to see guys like (Ximines) take that step forward. Those guys are doing a good job just getting better and contributing."

Kromah is an interesting choice to join the active roster, as he gets the call straight from Chicago. New England did have internal options with Ochaun Mathis, Jacqulin Roy and Jotham Russell all having the ability to play on the edge.

Kromah, 24, originally signed with Chicago as a rookie free agent out of James Madison this offseason. The 6-foot-4, 275-pounder was released by the Bears following camp and gets a fresh start with the Patriots.