The New England Patriots will take on the Denver Broncos in the AFC Championship Game on Sunday afternoon. After a week’s worth of preparations, the Patriots are about as ready as they can be for this game. Head coach Mike Vrabel covered all of his bases when it came to getting his squad prepared for this one, and that included getting some help from former Broncos wide receiver Trent Sherfield.
Less than two weeks ago, the Pats signed Sherfield to their practice squad as another layer of depth at wide receiver. Perhaps more importantly, though, is the fact that Sherfield was able to give New England some inside information on Denver’s operation. And yet, with kickoff just hours away, New England made a surprising roster move involving Sherfield.
Patriots Release Trent Sherfield Ahead of AFC Championship Game
Sherfield spent spring, summer and first part of the season with the #Broncos.
Ahead of the divisional round of the playoffs, Sherfield suddenly found himself becoming a hot commodity in free agency. After spending time with the Broncos and Arizona Cardinals earlier this season, Sherfield was up for grabs on the open market. He wasn’t all that productive with either team, as he caught just three passes for 21 yards this season, but he had intel on both Denver and the Buffalo Bills (whom he played for in 2023).
That proved particularly valuable for the Patriots, because if they beat the Houston Texans (which they did) they could get some important information from Sherfield. That became even more true when the Broncos lost starting quarterback Bo Nix for the rest of the season to an ankle injury. That thrust Jarrett Stidham into action, who Sherfield spent much of training camp working with.
Throughout the week, Sherfield made it clear that he was willing to give New England whatever it asked for about Denver. With the game nearly here, though, it appears the Patriots feel they no longer have any use for Sherfield, as they released the veteran pass catcher from their practice squad.
“NFL is a cold world. New England released WR Trent Sherfield from their practice squad today before traveling to Denver. Patriots signed him 11 days ago,” Parker Gabriel of The Denver Post wrote in a post on X. “Sherfield spent spring, summer and first part of the season with the Broncos.”
Patriots Looking to Earn Their Spot in Super Bowl LX
GettyNew England Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel
The timing of this move doesn’t exactly paint the Patriots in a great light, as it simply looks like they were using Sherfield to get information on the Broncos. And yet, with so much on the line, it’s common to see teams taking every measure they can to get a leg up on their opponent. And for Sherfield, he got an opportunity to learn about New England’s system, which could be valuable moving forward.
Sherfield was never going to suit up for the Pats in this game, so from an actual roster-building standpoint, this is a fairly inconsequential move for the team. Should their season continue past Sunday, though, they could look to bring Sherfield back to town to help with their Super Bowl prep. They have to get their first, though, and they will look to do just that by taking down the Broncos on Sunday afternoon at 3 p.m. ET.
Patriots Release Former Broncos WR Hours Before AFC Championship Game