FOXBOROUGH, Mass. – The New England Patriots announced today that they have signed DL Jeremiah Pharms Jr. to the 53-man roster from the practice squad. In addition, the Patriots elevated OL Conor McDermott to the active roster for the second straight week.
Pharms Jr. (jersey #70), 27, originally signed with New England on July 19, 2022 and spent the entire 2022 season on the practice squad. The 6-foot-3, 300-pounder, was released by New England on Aug. 29, 2023 and was signed to the practice squad on Sept. 4. He was elevated to the active roster for three straight games, at Dallas on Oct. 1, vs. New Orleans on Oct. 8 and at Las Vegas on Oct. 15. He registered his first NFL tackle against New Orleans. Pharms was drafted by the Pittsburgh Maulers of the USFL out of Friends University in 2022, where he finished the season with 32 tackles and two sacks in 10 games.
McDermott (jersey #75), 31, was signed to the practice squad on Oct. 17, 2023 and was elevated to the active roster last week at Miami but did not play in the game. He was placed on injured reserve by New England on Aug. 29, 2023 and released from the injured reserve list on Sept. 8. McDermott was originally a sixth-round draft pick by New England out of UCLA in the 2017 NFL Draft. He is in his seventh NFL season after spending time with the Buffalo Bills (2017-19), the New York Jets (2019-22) and New England (2022). The 6-foot-8, 310-pounder, was signed by New England to the 53-man roster from the Jets practice squad on Nov. 22, 2022 and started in six games at right tackle. Overall, he has played in 49 NFL games with 12 starts, two at right guard, two at left tackle, seven at right tackle and one as a tackle-eligible tight end.
