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The New England Patriots will have more depth at tight end vs. the Baltimore Ravens than they had on Monday night vs. the New York Jets.
The team added Jordan Thomas to the 53-man roster ahead of the Sunday night contest.
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Thomas May Join Ryan Izzo
Thomas passed through the NFL’s mandated COVID-19 protocols and is eligible to play against the Ravens. However, it should be noted, Thomas hasn’t been activated for Sunday night’s game, but the Patriots could certainly use the extra body. During the 30-27 win over the Jets on Monday night, the Patriots had only one active tight end, and that was Ryan Izzo.
New England made do with Rizzo and they also used offensive lineman in some of the heftier, max-protection looks. If Thomas isn’t activated in time for the matchup with the Ravens, it seems safe to expect to see the Patriots employ a similar strategy against Baltimore.
Thomas Seems Unlikely to Play
Before anyone goes on getting their hopes up that the Patriots will have help at tight end this week, it’s important to remember, Thomas has yet to practice with his new team.
The Earliest Thomas Should Be Expected to Contribute
If we’re being realistic, Thomas is a better bet to make an impact in Week 11 vs. the Houston Texans. Coincidentally, that is one of Thomas’ former teams. As long as nothing unexpected happens, Thomas will have gotten an opportunity to participate in a full week of practice in preparation for the game, which means he should have established some level of comfort for a role.
Another New Face to Watch Out For on Sunday Night
The Patriots completed one trade at the deadline, and it brought former Miami Dolphins receiver Isaiah Ford to New England. He did practice this week, and it would appear he’s a lock to get into the game this week.
We don’t know where he projects on the team’s depth chart at this point. However, if N’Keal Harry is able to go, Ford might be the fourth receiver on the roster at this point behind the emergent Jakobi Meyers, Damiere Byrd and Harry. If Harry is still slowed by the concussion that forced him to miss the last two games, Ford might even see more snaps than the 2019 first-round pick.
Bernd Buchmasser of Pats Pulpit believes there is a chance Ford could make an impact, though he doesn’t believe it to be a likely occurrence. He wrote:
Ford, on the other hand, will likely only play a rotational role alongside Meyers, Damiere Byrd and, if ready to go, N’Keal Harry. While the ex-Dolphin offers some intriguing versatility from the slot to help replace Julian Edelman, he will have to show that he can get on the same page as Cam Newton quickly in order to make some contributions in the passing game. Could it happen on Sunday night? Sure. However, it seems as if fans are more excited to see whether or not Jakobi Meyers can continue building on his impressive two-game stretch than expect anything similar out of Ford.
Patriots fans would like nothing more than a surprisingly good performance from Ford and Thomas on Sunday night.
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