FOXBOROUGH, Mass. – The New England Patriots announced today that they have activated tight end Dalton Keen to the 53-man roster from injured reserve. Dalton was placed on injured reserve on Nov. 10.
In addition, the Patriots signed WR Donte Moncrief and DL Akeem Spence to the 53-man roster from the practice squad and activated TE/DL Rashod Berry to the 53-man roster from the practice squad [Standard Elevation]. The Patriots also released WR Isaiah Ford from the 53-man roster.
Moncrief, 27 [#14], was signed by New England to the practice squad on Nov. 4, 2020. The 6-foot-2, 216-pounder was activated to the 53-man roster for each of the last two games. He has one reception for 15 yards and two kickoff returns for 75 yards, including a 53-yard return against Arizona last week. Moncrief was originally drafted by Indianapolis in the third round (90th overall) of the 2014 NFL Draft out of Mississippi. He played four seasons with the Colts before signing with Jacksonville as an unrestricted free agent on March 16, 2018. Moncrief played the 2019 season for Carolina and Pittsburgh, appearing in eight games and registering four receptions for 18 yards. He was signed by the New York Jets on Aug. 31, 2020, and spent time on the Jets practice squad earlier this season. Overall, Moncrief has played in 79 regular season games with 43 starts and totaled 205 receptions for 2,576 yards and 21 touchdowns. He has also appeared in three postseason contests with one start and posted five receptions for 86 yards and one touchdown.
Spence, 29 [#52], was signed to the New England practice squad on Nov. 21. He was elevated to the 53-man roster last week for the win over Arizona and made four tackles. The 6-foot-1, 303-pounder is a veteran of seven NFL seasons with Tampa Bay (2013-16), Detroit (2017), Miami (2018), Philadelphia (2019) and Jacksonville (2019). Spence originally entered the NFL as a fourth-round draft pick (100th overall) by Tampa Bay out of Illinois in the 2013 NFL Draft. Spence has played in 104 regular season games with 57 starts and totaled 199 tackles, 10½ sacks, one forced fumble and three fumble recoveries.
Berry, 24, [#43], was signed by New England as a rookie free agent out of Ohio State on May 5, 2020, and started the regular season on the Patriots practice squad. The 6-foot-4, 255-pounder was elevated to the 53-man roster prior to the Oct. 18 game against Denver and made his NFL debut before reverting back to the practice squad. He played in 50 games with four starts at tight end during his college career and caught 17 passes for 198 yards and four touchdowns. Berry also played along the defensive line early during his college career.
Ford, 24, was acquired in a trade with the Miami Dolphins for an undisclosed draft pick on Nov. 3, 2020. He originally entered the NFL as a seventh-round draft pick (237th overall) by Miami out of Virginia Tech in the 2017 NFL Draft. The 6-foot-2, 201-pounder has played in 16 career games and has 41 receptions for 428 yards. He dressed for one game for the Patriots but did not play and was inactive for two games.
