Does it make more sense to alter two spots in the regular starting offensive line or just one? That's a question the Patriots must answer for their trip to Buffalo this weekend.
When starting left tackle Isaiah Wynn left last week's game in Miami with an ankle issue, second-year man Justin Herron stepped in for the remainder of the afternoon. Now, after a week of virtually no practice time, Wynn is being held out of Saturday's Wild Card game against the Bills. He's also been dealing with a hip injury.
Could Herron be called upon again to replace Wynn, or might the team slide right tackle Trent Brown over there, where Brown started every game of the 2018 season for New England? Either option is a consideration for the Patriots, as are others, but these two seem like the most likely at this point. New England will have to do whatever its coaches feel gives them the best chance to come home with a playoff victory.
Meanwhile, New England promoted four practice squad players Friday, two of whom are defensive backs. This isn't surprising, given how thin the Patriots are in that area. Regular starting cornerback Jalen Mills has been sidelined on the COVID reserve list all week and it appears that his chances of playing Saturday are rapidly diminishing. Reserve rookie corner Shaun Wade also finds himself on that list, and second-year player Myles Bryant only recently came off it.
As a result, practice squad members D'Angelo Ross and virtual unknown De'Vante Bausby are in position to be active for the Wild Card game Saturday. New England will need as many defensive backs as possible to defend against a Bills offense that looks to have a full, healthy complement of receivers available for the playoff matchup.
As is the case each week, New England will have to reduce its active roster down to 48 players for the game, meaning more roster moves will be coming on Saturday. Stay tuned for further updates and analysis of those transactions when they are announced.
