The New England Patriots needed to create room on their 53-man roster Friday when they activated offensive tackle Caedance Wallace from injured reserve.
They did so by placing cornerback Marcus Jones on injured reserve after the dynamic playmaker was ruled out for the Patriots’ clash with the Los Angeles Chargers on Saturday with a hip injury.
Wallace played in New England’s first four games of the season before being placed on injured reserve with an ankle injury he sustained against the San Francisco 49ers on Oct. 4.
Subsequently, the Patriots elevated wide receiver Alex Erickson and linebacker Monty Rice to the active roster from the practice squad for the second straight week.
After signing with New England on Dec. 18, Erickson had one punt return for no gain in the Patriots’ loss to the Buffalo Bills in Week 16. Erickson most recently was with the Chargers, who had him on their practice squad for the bulk of the 2023 season. Prior to his stint with the Bolts, the Wisconsin product spent time with the Cincinnati Bengals, Houston Texans, Carolina Panthers, Washington Commanders and New York Jets. Erickson currently has 112 receptions for 232 yards with a pair of touchdowns in his NFL career.
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Rice also will be expected to play a role in the third phase, which has been asked of every defensive elevation this season for New England. It’s only been a few weeks since the 2021 third-round pick joined the practice squad, but he does have experience playing defensively if needed.
The Patriots and Chargers will kick things off from Gillette Stadium at 1 p.m. ET on Saturday.
Featured image via Bob DeChiara/Imagn Images
