FOXBOROUGH, Mass. – The New England Patriots announced today that OL James Ferentz has been signed to the 53-man roster from the practice squad and OL Conor McDermott has been placed on injured reserve. In addition, CB Breon Borders and TE Matt Sokol have been elevated to the active roster from the practice squad.
Ferentz (jersey #65), 34, has accrued eight seasons of NFL experience with Houston (2014), Denver (2015-16) and New England (2017-22). The 6-foot-2, 290-pounder has played in 60 regular season games with nine starts and two postseason games as a reserve during his career. Ferentz originally entered the NFL as a rookie free agent with Houston out of Iowa on May 16, 2014. Following his rookie season on the Texans practice squad and two years with the Broncos, Ferentz originally signed with New England on May 18, 2017. Last season, Ferentz played in 12 games with three starts at center. Ferentz was released by New England at the end of training camp in 2023 and signed to the practice squad.
Borders (jersey #35), 28, has been a part of 12 different teams since entering the NFL as a rookie free agent with the Oakland Raiders out of Duke in 2017. In addition to the Raiders, Borders has spent time on the active roster and practice squads for the Buffalo Bills, Houston Texans, Jacksonville Jaguars, Washington Football Team, Pittsburgh Steelers, Miami Dolphins, Tennessee Titans, Arizona Cardinals and the Chicago Bears. He also spent training camp this past summer with the Atlanta Falcons. The 6-foot, 189-pounder, has played in 32 games with six starts and has 41 total tackles, one interception, seven passes defensed and one fumble recovery. He was released by Atlanta on Aug. 29, 2023. Borders was signed by New England to the practice squad on Sept. 21.
Sokol (jersey #87), 28, was claimed off waivers and awarded to New England from Detroit on May 11, 2022. The 6-foot-5, 258-pounder originally entered the NFL as a rookie free agent with the Los Angeles Chargers out of Michigan State in 2019. He has spent time in training camp and on the practice squad of the Chargers, Detroit Lions and Jacksonville Jaguars. In 2020, he was elevated by the Chargers to the 53-man roster for two games. Sokol spent the 2022 season on the New England practice squad and played in three games after being elevated to the active roster
