A week after the New England Patriots placed Devin Asiasi on injured reserve, the tight end drafted 10 slots after the UCLA product has followed.
The Patriots placed Dalton Keene on IR Tuesday amid a series of arrivals and departures.
Keene, whose move was first reported by Field Yates of ESPN, had been downgraded from questionable to out prior to New England’s 30-27 win over the New York Jets at MetLife Stadium. A knee injury left the rookie out of Virginia Tech listed as limited for four consecutive practices and also inactive one Sunday ago against the Buffalo Bills in Orchard Park.
Ryan Izzo started both contests as the lone active tight end for the Patriots.
Keene landed at pick No. 101 overall in April’s NFL draft on the heels of Asiasi at No. 91 overall, and has appeared in one contest this fall. It included one reception for eight yards over the course of 24 snaps on offense and seven on special teams versus the San Francisco 49ers. He began the regular season on the injury report due to a neck issue.
Staying at tight end, the Patriots were awarded and granted a temporary roster exemption for Jordan Thomas.
Thomas originally entered the league with the Houston Texas as a sixth-round pick in 2018, and had been waived last weekend by the Arizona Cardinals. The former Mississippi State Bulldog has appeared in 25 career games to accrue 21 receptions for 223 yards and four touchdowns.
Tight ends David Wells and Dylan Cantrell have also been signed to the practice squad.
In corresponding churning, New England waived rookie sixth-round linebacker Cassh Maluia from the active roster and defensive tackle Ryan Glasgow from the practice squad, according to the league wire.
Recent acquisitions in wide receiver Isaiah Ford and defensive tackle Isaiah Mack were officially added to the New England 53-man roster on Tuesday after testing completed. And with recent standard elevations in wide receiver Kristian Wilkerson and linebacker Terez Hall reverting after making their NFL debuts, the scout team stands at its 16-man limit.
New England will face the Baltimore Ravens for an 8:20 p.m. ET kickoff next Sunday at Gillette Stadium.