News » 2018 Patriots roster tracker: New England places

TE Ryan Izzo on injured reserve White Ja'Whaun Bentley Jersey , adds WR Riley McCarron to practice squad The New England Patriots’ busy weekend is far from over. The team has reportedly made two more moves affecting both the active 53-man roster and the practice squad.According to ESPN’s Field Yates, New England has placed tight end Ryan Izzo on the injured reserve list:The move does not come as a surprise, after reports yesterday that the Patriots were expected to move the rookie to the reserve list. However, that they waited until today to do it is good news for the seventh-round draft pick: Izzo is now eligible to be reactivated off injured reserve at a later point during the season to potentially add more depth to a group consisting of Rob Gronkowski, Dwayne Allen and Jacob Hollister.[UPDATE] It sounds like the Patriots will not be able to reactivate Izzo off the reserve list, as they have placed him there before Sunday’s 4:00 p.m. ET deadline.New England placing Izzo on IR creates another open spot on the 53-man roster. The Patriots were in need of one after claiming two wide receivers – Chad Hansen and Amara Darboh – off waivers despite having only one spot available. Now Hansen and Darboh both fit onto the team.New England, according to a report by The Athletic’s Jeff Howe, has also made another addition to its practice squad by signing wide receiver Riley McCarron:McCarron finished the preseason with five catches for 55 yards Cordarrelle Patterson Jersey , was unable to make the 53-man team despite the Patriots being rather light at the wide receiver position. However, the team apparently felt better about having the second-year man exposed to waivers than keeping him around on the active team. The move paid off and McCarron now becomes the fifth player on the practice squad. TEAM TALKPatriots-Bears Wednesday Injury Report.Erik Scalavino shares the practice notes and locker-room buzz from Wednesday at Gillette: Preparing for Mack attack.Angelique Fiske reports Dont’a Hightower spoke to elementary school students about the importance of staying active and eating healthy.Belichick Breakdown: Top plays against the Chiefs. (7.32 min. video)LOCAL LINKSMike Reiss has a nice piece on Tom Brady as the closer: Now tied for 3rd-place all time in game-winning drives, his confidence in those situations inspires his teammates.Ryan Hannable calls attention to all the ways Tom Brady’s play has slipped so far in 2018.Kevin Duffy examines why Rob Gronkowski isn’t getting his usual looks in the red zone.Darren Hartwell notes Rob Gronkowski has a plan to improve his surprisingly nonexistent red zone production.Karen Guregian points out that in Sunday’s shootout win against the Chiefs, the Patriots actually employed more running plays than passing plays.Doug Kyed hears from RB Kenjon Barner about the difficulty of learning the Patriots offense. Barner picked up 16 yards, averaging 5.3 yards per carry in Sunday night’s win.Evan Lazar runs through how Matt Nagy’s offense is similar to Andy Reid.Matt Dolloff gives us five questions to get ready for Pats-Bears. 2. Can Matt Nagy hang with Bill Belichick for 60 minutes? Steve Balestrieri (PatsFans) Pats-Bears, Week 7 key matchups: Who has the razor’s edge?Matt Dolloff says Pats-Bears could simply come down to QB Mitchell Trubisky.David Latham (LastWordOnSports) Stephon Gilmore key to stopping suddenly successful Mitch Trubisky.Doug Kyed talks with the cornerbacks to find out what it’s like covering Josh Gordon in practice.Phil Perry notes Chicago head coach Matt Nagy says Trey Flowers may not be a “quote-unquote big name guy, but he’s the big name guy amongst the coaching world,”Rich Thompson notes Bill Belichick expressed wariness of Bears’ speedy receiver Taylor Gabriel.Nick O’Malley says the Pats offensive line has been great but will face a huge challenge vs. the Bears.Kevin Duffy believes the Patriots will have their hands full with Bears LB Khalil Mack.Zack Cox notes LaAdrian Waddle is gearing up for a potential Khalil Mack rematch.Phil Perry thinks Marcus Cannon’s availability will be key vs. Khalil Mack and the Bears.Mark Daniels reports former Patriot Akiem Hicks is thriving in Chicago.Evan Lazar’s Film Review: Josh Gordon emerging as versatile threat in Patriots offense.Tom E. Curran calls out how the Patriots kick-return coverage has gone from great to gross.Ryan Hannable passes along a report that the Patriots worked out several defensive players yesterday.Robert Alvarez (PatsFans) Best of social media: Chiefs vs. Patriots.Russ Goldman (PatsFans) Patriots Fourth and Two podcast: Chiefs vs. Patriots recap and Bears preview. (65.20 min.)NATIONAL NEWSJason Owens (Yahoo! Sports) Bill Belichick and Lawrence Taylor agree: Khalil Mack’s not as good as LT.Terez Paylor (Yahoo! Sports) 5 Things I Liked in Week 6: Flying to the football Authentic Jeremy Hill Jersey , Steelers’ nasty blocking and Matt Nagy channeling Andy Reid.Andy Benoit (SI) Deep Dive: How to remake NFL defenses? The Ravens have a blueprint. “Bears fans need not worry.”Jonathan Jones (SI) Morning Huddle: Bills smartly shifting to veteran QB Derek Anderson over interception-prone Nathan Peterman.Jenny Vrentas (SI) Five takeaways from the fall league meeting. 1. Concern in L.A.?Charles Robinson (Yahoo! Sports) NFL owners take a knee, leave national anthem policy alone.Mike Florio (ProFootballTalk) NFL adds Jimmy Haslam to Compensation Committee.Staff (Bleacher Report) Expert consensus Week 7 NFL picks. Two out of three pick Pats to win; Consensus: Patriots 28, Bears 23.VIEW FROM CHICAGOPatrick Finley (Chicago Sun Times) Will ‘experience factor’ matter when the Bears’ Matt Nagy faces Bill Belichick?Colleen Kane (Chicago Tribune) Can the Bears beat the Patriots on Sunday? Check the numbers.Larry Mayers (ChicagoBears) Patriots will provide measuring stick for Bears.Colleen Kane (Chicago Tribune) Were the Bears’ defensive struggles Sunday just a blip? Tom Brady and the Patriots will help the evaluation.Adam L. Jahns (Chicago Sun Times) Brady Barometer: Bears QB Mitch Trubisky excited to compete with all-time great.Mark Potash (Chicago Sun Times) Kyle Long feeling Bears spirit: ‘Every week feels like the playoffs around here.’Staff (ChicagoBears) 9 Questions to test your knowledge of the Bears-Patriots history.Patrick Finley (Chicago Sun Times) Matt Nagy: Bears OLB Khalil Mack ‘day-to-day’ with ankle injury.Brad Biggs (Chicago Tribune) Bears Q&A: Do future opponents have a template for slowing the pass rush? Why has Jordan Howard fallen out of favor?Dan Wiederer (Chicago Tribune) ‘That’s a big moment for our guys’: Bears offense showing significant growth, even after tough loss to Dolphins.Brad Biggs (Chicago Tribune) Arrival of colder weather ushers in kick return season, and the Bears are ready.