Patriots Release Tight End Eric Tomlinson, Planning To Activate WR N’Keal Harry

The New England Patriots will probably activate wide receiver N’Keal Harry which means they need an empty spot on the roster. They got one by releasing tight end Eric Tomlinson.

New England also cut kicker Mike Nugent, and he will probably be replaced by Nick Folk. Offensive lineman Aaron Monteiro is also out of the practice squad.

Harry was the Patriots’ first-round pick in the 2019 NFL Draft. He suffered a hamstring injury in the Patriots preseason opener and was placed on injured reserve. Harry returned to practice two weeks ago, and he is expected to make his NFL debut Sunday night against the Baltimore Ravens.

Head coach Bill Belichick didn’t confirm that Harry will be activated before Sunday. However, releasing Tomlinson is a big sign. The tight end played two games for New England as a tight end/fullback, and caught one pass on one target for 1 yard.

“I think N’Keal’s been working hard,” Belichick said Tuesday on a conference call with reporters. “Even though he hasn’t been able to participate in practice until recently, he’s been able to do other things — train, study, watch film, keep up with the terminology and game plan adjustments that we make. And then more recently, he has been able to get on the field and primarily take scout-team reps but also do other things, individual drills and some of the other competitive drills and so forth that we’ve done. It’s definitely improving.

“It’s good to have him back out there and see him working. I’d say each day, as you would expect, a little more improvement and confidence and taking things a little bit further than the day before. But he’s missed a lot of time. He still has a long way to go. He’s definitely trending in the right direction. We just have to evaluate where it is and what helps the team the most here.”

Hopefully, Harry will be activated by Sunday. The Patriots need his talent on the field. They are 8-0 at this point of the season, but adding Harry would be of great help for Tom Brady and the rest of the guys.


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