Patriots Place DT on IR

The New England Patriots have placed an intriguing young defensive player on injured reserve.

Mar 2, 2023; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Louisiana State defensive lineman Jaquelin Roy (DL14) participates in the NFL Combine at Lucas Oil Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images / Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

The New England Patriots are searching for answers as the regular season winds down, as they are attempting to discover which young players could be a significant part of their future.

One player that the Patriots have had their eye on has been defensive tackle Jaquelin Roy, who has been impressive in limited action this year.

However, Roy's 2024 campaign has come to an unfortunate end.

New England has announced that it has placed Roy on the injured reserve list due to a foot injury. The 24-year-old has been sidelined since suffering the injury on Nov. 10.

Roy had appeared in six games this season, logging 17 tackles and a couple of sacks. He began earning playing time at the beginning of October and was beginning to carve out a valuable niche in the Pats' defensive front, so this news is very unfortunate.

Of course, Roy had missed the last several games anyway.

The LSU product was originally selected by the Minnesota Vikings in the fifth round of the 2023 NFL Draft. He appeared in 12 contests during his rookie campaign, posting eight tackles.

Roy was waived by the Vikings shortly before the 2024 season and signed to the Patriots' practice squad on Sept. 10. He was then elevated to the active roster in October.

New England is just 3-10 heading into its Week 15 matchup with the Arizona Cardinals, so at this point, the Pats are really playing for draft positioning more than anything else.

However, it's important for the Patriots to identify which players are going to comprise a part of their future plans, as New England is fairly barren of elite talent on both sides of the ball.

Fortunately, the Pats are slated to have expansive cap room heading into the offseason, so they should be able to add some big pieces in free agency.

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