Report: Patriots Activate Second Round Pick Off IR, Release Two Veteran Players

The New England Patriots like to shake up their roster after losing a game. Logically, this step is of utmost importance, and head coach Bill Belichick sure knows his job. He does not tolerate players who take their job for granted. The same applies to those who do not fit in his winning formula. According to the latest reports, the Patriots activated a second round pick.

New England activated rookie cornerback Duke Dawson on Tuesday and released two veteran players. Dawson was brought off injured reserve. Running back Kenjon Barner and linebacker Nicholas Grigsby put an end to their story with the Patriots. The information was confirmed by several sources, including ESPN’s Field Yates.

Dawson was placed on injured reserve throughout the entire season. He missed some time during training camp and preseason due to a hamstring injury. Dawson will join Stephon Gilmore, Jason McCourty, Jonathan Jones, JC Jackson and Keion Crossen to add more depth to the cornerback position. The running back may be added to the Patriots’ slot cornerback role in the last six games.

The Patriots released Barner, and now they have Sony Michel, James White and wide receiver Cordarrelle Patterson at running back. Running back Rex Burkhead may be brought off injured reserve before the Week 13 game against the Minnesota Vikings.

Grigsby is a special-teams player. The special teams unit struggled throughout the season. New England added special-teamer/linebacker Albert McClellan last week.

Hopefully, these changes will help the team avoid the mistakes of last week. The Patriots cannot afford to lose such an easy games. It is not in their nature. Of course, mistakes are allowed once in a while, but they have to be more careful in the next few games. Losing a game in the same way would be a disaster for the team.