The Patriots are gearing up for Sunday's matchup with the 49ers by making a series of roster moves on Saturday.
New England placed CB Alex Austin (ankle) on injured reserve and signed CB Isaiah Bolden to the 53-man roster from the practice squad. The Patriots also elevated DT Trysten Hill and TE Mitchell Wilcox from the practice squad.
Bolden is on track to make his NFL debut by adding more size to a New England secondary that is down a rotational boundary in Austin and listed veteran corner Jonathan Jones (shoulder) as questionable on Friday. Jones will probably play through his shoulder injury, but the Patriots are still undersized against a big group of 49ers receivers.
New England has leaned on a cornerback trio that includes top boundary CB Christian Gonzalez, Marcus Jones in the slot, and the veteran Jones as the field corner. This week, Gonzalez will likely be on Niners star WR Brandon Aiyuk. However, breakout star Jauan Jennings presents a matchup issue for the Joneses. The 6-foot-3 receiver had 11 catches for 175 yards and three touchdowns last week, running routes from the slot (65) and out wide (68). Jennings has good versatility and uses his size well to box out on hitches, outs, digs, and posts.
After the Joneses struggled with the size of Jets receivers Allen Lazard and Mike Williams, Bolden was signed to possibly cover Jennings or fourth-string WR Ronnie Bell (5-11, 191). At 6-2, 201 pounds, the 2023 seventh-rounder is a terrific athlete with great size. Bolden has experience playing inside and outside, and can contribute on special teams. Bolden's cover skills are still a work in progress, but it's a more even size matchup with the Niners receivers.
As for their practice squad elevations, this is Hill's second elevation this season and Wilcox's first. Hill played six of his seven snaps in pass-rushing situations in Week 1 but didn't register on the stat sheet. He'll provide depth on the interior, where NT Davon Godchaux and DT Daniel Ekuale are on pace for career-highs in snaps.
Wilcox's elevation could signal a return to a run-first approach for the Patriots offense. The tight end is known for being a steady run blocker, so we could see plenty of multiple tight end sets against the Niners defense. Wilcox joins tight ends Hunter Henry, Austin Hooper, and Jaheim Bell on the active roster.
The final housekeeping item for the Patriots are their game-day inactives with four players officially listed as questionable: LB Anfernee Jennings (shoulder), G Sidy Sow (ankle), CB Jonathan Jones (shoulder), and OT Caedan Wallace (knee). Sow told Patriots.com that he expects to make his season debut on Sunday, returning from an ankle injury Sow suffered in the preseason finale. Jennings was also hopeful that he'll play this week, which is big against a Niners team that likes to run off-tackle, while Jones is known for battling through injuries.
The Patriots will face the 49ers at Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara with kickoff at 4:05 pm ET on Sunday.
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