The New England Patriots made it official Thursday, promoting safety Mike Brown from the practice squad. This move filled one of their two open roster spots, leaving just one remaining. Brown earned this spot after serving as a standard elevation for two straight matchups, a real grind to make it onto the active 53-man roster.
Brown’s Journey: From Undrafted to Official Patriot
This isn’t some rookie getting a free pass. Mike Brown, 27, has been working for this. He went undrafted back in 2022, bouncing around practice squads with the Green Bay Packers, Minnesota Vikings, and Cleveland Browns before finally getting a shot on the Tennessee Titans’ 53-man roster late in his rookie season. He stuck around the AFC South until he was non-tendered as a restricted free agent in March. The Patriots scooped him up when the 2026 league year kicked off, keeping him on the practice squad after he was released during the August cutdown.
But his recent play made it impossible to ignore him. Brown reverted to the practice squad at the start of the week, but he absolutely earned his call-up. Through games against the Jacksonville Jaguars and Buffalo Bills, he racked up 12 snaps on defense and a massive 42 snaps on special teams. He even notched a pair of tackles this fall, tying for the team lead with 88 percent of the workload in the kicking game during his latest elevation. Over his 37-game NFL run, which includes a handful of starts, Brown has put up 61 tackles and two passes defensed across 515 defensive snaps and 802 special teams snaps. He’s stepping into an active safety depth chart that already includes Kevin Byard III, Craig Woodson, and Jaylen Reed. Plus, 2025 special teams captain Brenden Schooler, who is on the non-football injury list, is set to rejoin the crew after his 21-day practice clock started last month. That’s a busy room.
The Roster Domino Effect: Ramirez Returns to Practice Squad
As Brown made his way up, there was a corresponding move to keep the practice squad stocked. The Patriots re-signed outside linebacker Jose Ramirez to the 17-man practice squad on Thursday, just a day after he cleared waivers. Ramirez, also 27, first joined the Patriots in September. He actually got promoted to the 53-man roster himself last month when safety Dell Pettus landed on injured reserve. During that stint, Ramirez played in two road matchups, recording one solo tackle across 30 snaps on defense and special teams before being waived.
Ramirez’s path is another winding one. He entered the NFL as a sixth-round pick at No. 196 overall in the 2023 draft with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, where he appeared in four games and notched one quarterback hit. The former MAC Defensive Player of the Year, who played at Arizona, Riverside City College, and Eastern Michigan, spent last year with the CFL’s Hamilton Tiger-Cats and signed a futures contract with the Philadelphia Eagles in January. Now he’s back with the Patriots’ practice squad.
Head coach Mike Vrabel’s 2-2 Patriots are gearing up to host the 3-1 Las Vegas Raiders this Sunday. Kickoff at Gillette Stadium is scheduled for 1 p.m. ET. This team needs every player to step up, and Brown’s promotion shows they are looking for production, especially in the kicking game, as they fight to keep pace early in the season.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Pats Pulpit.
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