The New England Patriots signed offensive lineman Da’Metrius Weatherspoon to their practice squad, a desperate move to shore up a unit absolutely slammed by injuries right before their AFC East opener. Head coach Mike Vrabel confirmed Wednesday that while they still have two open spots on the active roster, their scout team is now back to its 17-man limit. This signing comes at a critical time for a 1-2 club facing a brutal stretch.
The Injury Bug Just Keeps Biting New England’s Trenches
Talk about an O-line nightmare, man. The Patriots are getting absolutely hammered. They lost starting right guard Mike Onwenu to injured reserve last week after he broke an ankle playing the Steelers. That’s a huge blow! Then, his veteran replacement, August addition Greg Van Roten, also landed on injured reserve with a thigh injury he picked up against the Jaguars. You can’t make this stuff up. And it doesn’t stop there: right tackle captain Morgan Moses didn’t even finish their brutal 35-6 loss to Jacksonville, battling a foot injury that limited him all game. Your starting guard and his backup are out for who knows how long, and your captain at right tackle is hobbled. This team is in trouble up front, plain and simple.
Who Is Da’Metrius Weatherspoon, The Rookie Getting Thrown Into The Fire?
So, with all that chaos, the Pats went out and grabbed Da’Metrius Weatherspoon. He’s a 23-year-old, 6-foot-6, 319-pound offensive lineman who originally came into the league as an undrafted free agent with the Buffalo Bills back in May. Yeah, you read that right, a *Bills* rookie. He got waived at the 53-man roster deadline in August after playing 67 snaps between left and right tackle during the preseason. The dude started his college career at Howard, where he earned HBCU All-American honors in 2023, then transferred to Syracuse for 2024 and 2025. At Syracuse, he racked up 25 appearances with 22 starts across left tackle, right tackle, and even left guard. Pro Football Focus said that as a redshirt senior last fall, he gave up four sacks, one quarterback hit, and three penalties over 817 offensive downs. They needed a body, and they got a versatile one, even if he’s a practice squad guy for now. This move happened a day after they cut rookie linebacker Riley Wilson from the practice squad to free up space.
This Sunday’s kickoff in Orchard Park is set for 1 p.m. ET, and it’s their AFC East opener. For a 1-2 team with a decimated offensive line, every snap counts. Let’s see if Weatherspoon even sees the field, but man, they’re scraping the barrel just to fill out their depth chart.
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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