Bourne Again: Breaking Down the Patriots’ Series of Roster Moves on Christmas Day

The Patriots versatile wideout looks to be making a return to the Pats lineup for Sunday’s game, amidst a flurry of roster moves on Saturday.

As much of the world celebrates Christmas Day, the New England Patriots continue their preparations for their Week Sixteen matchup with the Buffalo Bills on Sunday, December 26 at Gillette Stadium in Foxboro, Massachusetts. The teams are set for battle in a pivotal game which has significant implications on the race for the AFC East division title, as well as AFC playoff-seeding.

While the Patriots enjoyed some extra holiday time with family during the morning hours, they were quite busy making some intriguing roster moves on Saturday afternoon.

Here is a look at the Patriots Christmas Day roster moves and what they mean for the team heading into Week Sixteen and beyond.

Bourne is Back

The Patriots activated wide receiver Kendrick Bourne from COVID-19/Reserve list, as confirmed by the NFL’s transaction wire on Saturday.

Bourne’s expected return to the lineup is great news for the Patriots, who will need as much firepower as possible against a stout Bills pass defense. The 26-year-old has become one of the Patriots most-reliable receivers. In his first season with New England, Bourne has caught 45 passes for a team-high 667 yards and five touchdowns in 14 games. He has also demonstrated an ability to be a threat in the running game, logging nine carries for 100 yards. The versatile wideout even has thrown one touchdown pass. Bourne should provide the Pats with a solid target at the receiver position on Sunday, especially in the intermediate area of the field.

Uche Returns from Injured Reserve

New England also activated linebacker Josh Uche from injured reserve (IR). The Michigan product had been placed on IR with an ankle injury, but returned to Patriots’ practice on December 14.

His last appearance for the Pats was in Week Ten versus the Carolina Panthers, where he played on 13 defensive snaps and seven snaps on special teams. In eight games this season, Uche recorded three sacks, four quarterback hits and ten tackles as a rotational edge rusher.

Still, Uche has the speed, athleticism and system savvy to be a factor in the Patriots defense as an edge rusher or an off-the-ball linebacker. While it remains to be seen whether he will be used as a pass rush specialist or a true every-down move linebacker, he has the skillset to play on the line in most of the Pats’ defensive alignments. With the Pats in need of speedy defenders in the front seven, capable of keeping pace with Buffalo quarterback Josh Allen, Uche may see some action on the field on Sunday.

Practice Squad Elevations

In advance of Sunday’s game, New England announced the standard elevations of defensive lineman Daniel Ekuale, wide receiver Kristian Wilkerson, and cornerback D’Angelo Ross from their practice squad.

Ekuale was elevated to the active roster for the games versus the New York Jets (10/25/21), at the Los Angeles Chargers (10/31/21), at Buffalo (12/6/21) and most recently, against the Indianapolis Colts (12/18). The 27-year-old saw action as a reserve, finishing with three tackles including two sacks.

Ross originally signed with New England as a rookie free agent out of New Mexico on May 2, 2019 and spent his rookie season on injured reserve. The 5-foot-9, 190-pound cornerback spent last season on the practice squad before being elevated for the season-finale against the New York Jets on Jan. 2, 2021. Ross was inactive in that game.

Perhaps the most intriguing of the Pats’ elevations is Wilkerson. Since joining the Pats in 2020, Wilkerson has been a mainstay on the team’s practice squad. Yet, his regular-season pro resume is limited to Wilkerson has taken a total of six offensive snaps across two practice squad call-ups over the past two seasons, with zero targets. Still, the SE Missouri State product had an impressive showing during training camp. He saw the majority of his reps in an X-Receiver role, in conjunction with the team getting solid contributions at the X from both Nelson Agholor and N’Keal Harry. He also received notable work on special teams drills; at one point, alongside special teams captain. Matthew Slater. However, his preseason spotlight began to dim amidst issues with securing the catch. Though Wilkerson was rumored to be in line for a roster spot, he was released by the team during roster cutdown, and subsequently signed to the practice squad.

Wise placed on COVID-19/Reserve

Unfortunately, not all of the roster news was good news on Christmas Day. The Pats also announced that defensive end Deatrich Wise, Jr. has been placed on COVID-19/Reserve.

Currently in his fifth season in New England, Wise has indeed become a mainstay in the Patriots pass rush. At 6-foot-5, 275-pounds, he has provided the Pats with the size and length to make him a dual contributor in both run and pass defense. In addition to his three sacks, four passes-defensed and 36 total tackles in 2021, he continues to exhibit great field awareness. It was this combination of skill and system knowledge that led New England to sign him to a four-year, $22 million deal in the offseason.

Despite his logistical fit within the Pats defense, Wise has found success in Foxboro primarily as a result of his versatility. Ever since he arrived in New England, he has been employed all over the Patriots’ defensive line. He was originally used as a rotational edge that was moved inside on select passing downs. However, he has also spent time as a 3-4 tackle and sub-package defensive end.

With the Bills’ expected to have offensive lineman Dion Dawkins back in the lineup for Sunday’s game, the Pats will need all hands on deck in their front seven; especially their pass rushers. The loss of Wise is, therefore, a challenge which the Pats will need to overcome.

Waitman Signed by Steelers

Finally, New England’s practice squad was reduced by one member on Saturday, as punter Corliss Waitman has been signed to the Pittsburgh Steelers’ active roster.

The move comes after rookie specialist Pressley Harvin III was ruled out for Week 16 due to a personal situation. It still will be the 26-year-old’s second trou of duty with the Steelers.

Waitman joined the league in 2020 as an undrafted rookie free agent by signing with the Pittsburgh Steelers. He spent 2021 training camp with the Las Vegas Raiders. He appeared in 38 games during his collegiate career at South Alabama. Waitman handled kickoff and holding duties, in addition to punting. He was a first-team All-Sun Belt Conference selection as a junior after averaging 45.24 yards per punt to set the school record. During his tenure with the South Alabama Jaguars, Waitman booted 58 punts which were downed inside the 20-yard line.