Patriots Shake Up Roster Before Dolphins Game

The New England Patriots have made a couple of moves before taking on the Miami Dolphins in Week 12.

Jan 17, 2024; Foxborough, MA, USA; A New England Patriots helmet sits on a table at Gillette Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Eric Canha-Imagn Images / Eric Canha-Imagn Images

The New England Patriots are preparing to face the Miami Dolphins on Sunday afternoon, and they have made a couple of roster moves prior to the contest.

The Patriots have announced that they have elevated linebacker Keshawn Banks and tight end Jack Westover to the 53-man roster. They had previously been serving on the practice squad.

Banks, who played his collegiate football at San Diego State, went undrafted but landed with the Green Bay Packers as a free agent in May 2023.

The 24-year-old never actually played a game for the Packers before being released by the team this past August. He then joined New England's practice squad in late October.

Across five seasons at San Diego State, Banks accumulated 139 tackles, 43 tackles for loss and 13 sacks.

He made his Pats debut last week, playing on special teams.

Meanwhile, Westover signed with the Seattle Seahawks as an undrafted free agent back in April. The University of Washington product was released by the Seahawks right before the regular season.

He proceeded to join the Patriots' practice squad early last month.

Westover spent five years at Washington from 2019 through 2023 but didn't begin to receive significant playing time until 2022, when he caught 31 passes for 342 yards and a touchdown.

The 25-year-old would go on to haul in 46 receptions for 433 yards and four scores during his final season with the Huskies last year.

It seems unlikely that either player will become regular contributors for New England throughout the remainder of 2024, but stranger things have happened.

The Pats are 3-8 heading into their matchup with the Dolphins. They have been playing much better football of late, but it still seems abundantly clear that they have a long way to go.

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