A second spot just opened up in Gillette Stadium, and it’s a telling move early in the season. The New England Patriots decided to waive outside linebacker Jose Ramirez from their 53-man roster, part of a series of shifts they dropped on Tuesday afternoon.
Ramirez’s Wild Ride Ends Quick
Man, Ramirez’s run in Foxborough was a whirlwind. This dude, 27 years old, just cleared waivers at the cutdown deadline back in September and landed on their practice squad. Three weeks later, boom, he’s promoted to the active roster. You think, “Okay, this guy’s got a shot!” But then you look at the tape: he notched just one tackle and only saw action in two games. Totaling a mere 30 snaps between special teams and defense. Thirty snaps! That’s it. For a guy who was the MAC Defensive Player of the Year and a sixth-round pick in the 2023 draft, coming from Arizona, Riverside City College, and Eastern Michigan, it’s a tough break. He’d played four career games before landing in the AFC East, bouncing from the Buccaneers to the CFL’s Hamilton Tiger-Cats, then back to the Eagles on a futures deal. It feels like head coach Mike Vrabel is cleaning house, making room for guys coming off reserve lists now that the first four games are done and dusted.
Practice Squad Shuffle: New Faces In, Old Faces Out
But the moves didn’t stop there. The Patriots also inked cornerback Al’Zillion Hamilton to their practice squad on Tuesday. This kid, 24 years old, was an undrafted free agent with the Los Angeles Rams back in 2026 before getting waived in August during the 53-man cuts. He’s a 5-foot-11, 190-pound rookie out of Fresno State with some real college chops, logging 54 games and 35 starts for the Bulldogs. His resume includes 123 tackles, eight interceptions, and 26 passes defensed. He even climbed from an All-Mountain West honorable mention to a second-team pick by his senior year. To make room for him, they cut ties with offensive lineman Da’Metrius Weatherspoon. Weatherspoon, 23, had just signed with their practice squad last week after coming into the NFL with the Buffalo Bills as an undrafted free agent in May. He’s a big boy, 6-foot-6, 319 pounds, and saw 67 snaps at left and right tackle during his rookie preseason. Played at Howard, where he was an HBCU All-American in 2023, then transferred to Syracuse for two years, getting 25 appearances and 22 starts. A lot of turnover, man, especially for players who just got there.
These are serious early-season maneuvers for a Patriots squad sitting at 2-2. It shows they’re not messing around with their depth chart this year. They’ve got the Las Vegas Raiders rolling into Gillette Stadium next Sunday for a 1 p.m. ET kickoff. You gotta wonder if these quick changes are going to stabilize things or just keep the carousel spinning for Vrabel’s crew.
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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