The New England Patriots were forced to start three different quarterbacks this season. First, Jimmy Garoppolo stepped in for the suspended Tom Brady. After Garoppolo injured his shoulder midway through the second week of the season, rookie Jacoby Brissett had to step in.
Brissett himself suffered an injury in one of his starts, hurting his finger against the Houston Texans in week 3. As a result of the ailment, the Patriots placed the 24-year old third-round pick on injured reserve once Brady returned.
Today, according to Ian Rapoport, Brissett will return to New England’s active roster:
#Patriots are expected to activate QB Jacoby Brissett to the 53-man roster today off IR, source said. More QB depth & allows him to practice
Brissett returning to the 53-man roster allows him to keep practicing in full capacity and thus get additional experience with the team until the end of the season. Considering that he is expected to take over the backup quarterback role next season, this additional experience is without a doubt valuable. Simultaneously, the activation gives the Patriots more depth at the game’s most important position.
Due to the activation, New England will have to make a corresponding roster move. Seeing either running back D.J. Foster or defensive tackle Woodrow Hamilton, both undrafted rookies, released with a plan to re-sign them to the practice squad would make sense, as would be placing safety Jordan Richards on injured reserve.