The Patriots sawed their active roster down to their initial 53 players on Tuesday night and the roster juggling continued into Wednesday with the team claiming four players from the waiver wire and beginning to put the pieces in place on their practice squad.

Wednesday also marked a shift from the on-field schedule of training camp the standard in-season day, with Jerod Mayo speaking with the media from the media workroom, open locker room access and a brief glimpse at the beginning of practice.

"We're looking forward to putting the rest of the roster together, the practice squad and then really just looking forward to getting the team ready to go against Cincinnati," said Mayo. "This week for us, it's really about just getting the Patriots better. Then next week, it'll be about preparing for a game."

Mayo also added that he would announce the team's starting quarterback later in the week, first wanting to inform the team of who would be leading them into the 2024 campaign when they take the field in Cincinnati.

"I think it's important to remember what's good for the team today may not be good for the team weeks down the line," said Mayo of the QB decision. "So, I think the challenge is you want to win every single game now, but also we're trying to build something special here in New England.".

Pettus Revives UDFA Streak

The Patriots didn't have an undrafted rookie make their opening roster for the first time in 20 years last season but safety Dell Pettus restarted the streak by winning a job.

The Troy product played a lot this preseason and, even with a stacked safety room, he was still able to earn coaching staff's trust. Speaking in the locker room on Wednesday, Pettus acknowledged that it's a nice first step but that he has bigger goals ahead.

"Honestly, I was pissed off because I felt like I should've been selected higher or just selected in general, but you know God has a plan for everybody and I kinda just kept that chip on my shoulder that I felt like I was slighted and honestly that chip isn't gone," said Pettus. "I'm here, I got my foot in the door but I'm not finished and I feel that wholeheartedly. I've got a lot of goals for myself, I've got a lot of ambition and drive. I'm going to take it day by day and continue to show everybody I'm supposed to be here."

Roster Roundup

According to the NFL Wire, the Patriots were awarded four players off of waviers from around the NFL:

• OL Demontrey Jacobs (from Denver)
• OL Zachary Thomas (from LA Rams)
• DL Eric Johnson (from Indianapolis)
• LB Curtis Jacobs (from Kansas City)

Jalen Reagor, Isaiah Bolden, Trysten Hill and Michael Jordan were the corresponding players released the team announced. As expected, all four were missing from the practice fields.

The team also officially announced seven following players signed to the Patriots practice squad:

• RB Terrell Jennings
• WR Matt Landers
• TE Mitchell Wilcox
• OL Liam Fornadel
• RB Kevin Harris
• A.J. Thomas
• Edge Jotham Russell (international roster exemption)

With Russell, the team can have up to 17 players on the practice squad. Joe Giles-Harris and Josh Bledsoe were also spotted with intact lockers, an indication that they might also be joining the practice squad. Officially the team has 10 spots remaining.

Mayo reminded everyone during his press conference that the roster management would continue into later this week. "We feel pretty good where we are as of today. Now, once again, it's very fluid. So, you'll still see transactions continue to happen – not just from our team, we're not unique to the situation – but across the league. You look across the league, there have been teams that carry 12 defensive linemen. I don't know what that means, but once again, the transactions don't end today, they'll continue."

Practice Report

ABSENT:

• Sidy Sow (Mayo noted that it appeared that Sow had avoided a major injury after leaving Sunday night's game. It's a positive sign but it was still significant enough to hold Sow out on Wednesday)
• Vederian Lowe

Limited

• Christian Elliss
• Joshua Uche

Hunter Henry and Oshane Ximines returned to practice after missing the final media-open sessions last week. That's a positive sign for two important players. Henry had another solid summer while Ximines provides some pass-rush depth as Joshua Uche continues to be limited.

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