Nashville, TN — The Patriots are readying for a clash with the Titans at Nissan Stadium on Sunday, with some notable inactives in Week 9.

New England's game-day inactives are FS Kyle Dugger (ankle), WR K.J. Osborn, WR Tyquan Thornton, DT Eric Johnson, and QB Joe Milton is the emergency third quarterback. After being removed from the injury report, rookie QB Drake Maye is expected to start, with veteran Jacoby Brissett backing him up on Sunday.

On the other side, the Titans inactives are CB L'Jaruis Sneed, QB WIll Levis, RB Tyjae Spears, T Dillon Radunz, TE David Martin-Robinson, LB Cedric Gray, and CB Tre Avery. The Titans are expected to start QB Mason Rudolph.

At wide receiver, trade candidates K.J. Osborn and Tyquan Thornton are inactive with the trade deadline looming. The Pats wideouts are healthy scratches, like pass-rusher Joshua Uche was before he was dealt to the Chiefs earlier this week. Although it's currently just rumors, it's notable that New England made them healthy scratches ahead of Tuesday's trade deadline.

Without the two veterans, rookies Ja'Lynn Polk and Javon Baker are expected to be back in the mix. Polk, who has struggled in his first season, returns after missing last week's game due to a concussion. Baker, on the other hand, is up for the second consecutive week. The fourth-rounder cracked the game-day lineup as a kick returner in Week 8 but is expected to get some chances at wide receiver this week after playing zero offensive snaps vs. the Jets.

Moving over to the defense, safety Kyle Dugger is inactive for the second straight game. Dugger is dealing with a nagging ankle injury he suffered in the Week 4 loss to the 49ers. During practice this week, Dugger was spotted having a conversation with team trainers and safeties coach Brian Belichick. Clearly, he's trying to fight through the injury, but Dugger hasn't been able to play since the team's trip to London in Week 7.

Although he carried a questionable designation into the game, Dugger being inactive will create speculation that he could be involved in trade talks. His name popped up in a report from The Athletic's Dianna Russini, with Russini reporting that the Patriots are listening to offers on their defensive captain. From this perspective, seeing New England deal a "core" player they prioritized this offseason would be stunning.

Last March, the Patriots placed the transition tag on Dugger to maintain team control of his free agency. Then, the team inked Dugger to a four-year, $58 million deal in early April. Although he wasn't named a captain initially, Dugger replaced LB Ja'Whaun Bentley (IR) as a captain earlier this season. The rebuilding Patriots are likely open for business at the deadline, but dealing one of their best players months after signing him to a multi-year contract would be surprising.

As for how the Patriots will cover up Dugger being out, S/LB Marte Mapu has recently taken on a similar role as Dugger, playing in the box, over the slot, and deep safety in various roles. Undrafted rookie Dell Pettus and FS Jaylinn Hawkins are the primary defenders playing next to Mapu in the backend, and one would expect that safety rotation to continue this week.

Elsewhere on the roster, rookie QB Drake Maye is officially active and expected to start after clearing concussion protocol. Maye was removed from the team's injury report en route to Tennessee. Last week, Maye was put into concussion protocol after taking a helmet-to-helmet hit to the back of the head on an 18-yard scramble. Jets LB Jermaine Sherwood was not flagged for the hit in real-time, but the NFL fined Sherwood for the helmet-to-helmet contact. Maye was removed from the game in the second quarter and did not return.

During the week, the third-overall pick was limited in all three practices. However, Maye was making progress, as his practice participation appeared to increase with each passing day. The Pats QB1 was then cleared by team doctors and the independent neurological consultant.

As for who will be blocking for Maye, starting LT Vederian Lowe is officially active. Lowe was listed as questionable on the team's final injury report due to ankle and shoulder issues, but he's good to go, as is starting LG Michael Jordan (ankle), who was also questionable.

With both questionable starters active, the Patriots projected starting offensive line is LT Vederian Lowe, LG Michael Jordan, C Ben Brown, RG Mike Onwenu, and RT Trey Jacobs. Hopefully, this group will build on recent performances, where they've stabilized the Pats pass protection. After ranking dead-last with a 46% opponent pressure rate, New England has leveled off with a 35% pressure rate allowed since Week 6 (15th).

With that in mind, here is QB Drake Maye's supporting cast on Sunday:

OL - LT Lowe, LG Jordan, C Brown, RG Onwenu, RT Jacobs
RB - Stevenson, Gibson, Hasty
WR - Bourne, Douglas, Boutte, Polk, Baker
TE - Henry, Hooper, Bell

Lastly, New England's defense has questionable players LB Christian Elliss (abdomen) and DT Jaquelin Roy (neck) active. The two Pats defenders have emerged as contributors in the front seven. Elliss is starting games alongside LB Jahlani Tavai, playing 84% of the defensive snaps last week while Roy is playing a rotational role on the interior defensive line (30 snaps in Week 8). The two are active despite being limited participants in practice this week.

After a big divisional win over the Jets last week, the Patriots are attempting to earn their first two-game winning streak since midway through the 2022 season. With the two teams having a combined three wins, the Titans are slight three-point home favorites. However, this is about as good a setup as the Patriots could have with Maye returning.

The Patriots face the Titans at Nissan Stadium in Nashville with kickoff at 1 p.m. ET on Sunday.

DISCLAIMER: The views and thoughts expressed in this article are those of the writer and don't necessarily reflect those of the organization. Read Full Disclaimer