Patriots make 5 roster moves ahead of Sunday’s game

The New England Patriots made 4 roster moves on Saturday, according to the NFL transaction wire. The Patriots released OL Jason King and DL Ricky Jean-Francois from the active roster and promoted DL Geneo Grissom and WR Bernard Reedy from the practice squad. New England also signed DL Marcus Hardison to the practice squad.

The release of King and Jean-Francois point to positive health developments in the trenches, with the hopeful return of RT LaAdrian Waddle and the continued health of Malcom Brown.

The promotions of Grissom and Reedy have a special teams focus, with Grissom likely taking over for Trevor Reilly and providing some depth on the edge and Reedy serving as a returner, limiting the possible hits on Dion Lewis and Danny Amendola.

Hardison is a 2015 fourth-round pick by the Cincinnati Bengals and spent his first two seasons and this past summer with the team. The 6’3, 310 pound defensive tackle signed with the Jacksonville Jaguars practice squad for much of the 2017 season.

The Patriots have one open spot on the practice squad.