The New England Patriots have announced their inactives for their week 15 match-up against the Miami Dolphins:
Chris Barker, OL
Steve Beauharnais, LB
Aaron Dobson, WR
Michael Buchanan, DE
Jake Bequette, DE
Kenbrell Thompkins, WR
DJ Williams, TE
The biggest news here is two players returning to action: right tackle Marcus Cannon and tight end Michael Hoomanawanui. With Hoomanawanui back, he will be the #1 tight end, although the majority of his snaps will likely still come as a blocker. His presence lands D.J. Williams on the inactive list.
Wide receivers Kenbrell Thompkins and Aaron Dobson are inactive, as announced yesterday. Rookie receiver Josh Boyce will likely be the X-receiver for the second straight week.
Defensive end Michael Buchanan is a healthy scratch for the first time this season. He had been passed by Andre Carter on the depth chart as the third defensive end, but it is still a bit surprising to see him here because he had been contributing on special teams.
Running back Brandon Bolden is back, but Stevan Ridley remains active. That means the Patriots will be loaded in the backfield today. Should be interesting to see how snaps are divided.