The New England Patriots were quite busy on Tuesday. Not only did they partake in one of just two trades made ahead of the NFL’s trade deadline, they also made some follow-up transactions by sending one of their rookie tight ends to injured reserve and claiming a defensive tackle off waivers. All moves were made official by the league’s transaction wire, so let’s take a quick look at them.
TE Devin Asiasi: Placed on injured reserve
After starting the season as the Patriots’ number two tight end behind Ryan Izzo and playing 81 of a possible 337 offensive snaps over the first five games of the season, Asiasi has been quiet as of late. He was a healthy scratch in Week 7 before being deactivated because of personal reasons in Week 8. Now, he has been sent to IR because of an undisclosed ailment — one that was not mentioned on any injury report leading up to this point.
With Asiasi out for at least three games, New England’s tight end group becomes even thinner than it already was. Izzo remains the top option, with fellow third-round rookie Dalton Keene the number two. Keene made his NFL debut in place of Asiasi in Week 7, but also had to miss the following game against the Buffalo Bills after dealing with a knee injury during the week leading up to the contest.
DT Isaiah Mack: Claimed off waivers
With this week’s news that Beau Allen would be unable to return off injured reserve this season, the Patriots were in dire need of bolstering their defensive tackle position. They did so on Tuesday by claiming Isaiah Mack off waivers: the 24-year-old spent the first one-and-a-half seasons of his NFL career with the Tennessee Titans, but was released earlier this week after seeing only marginal playing time up until this point in the season.
All in all, Mack has appeared in 19 games so far in his career. Listed at 6-foot-1, 300 pounds, he will offer depth alongside top defensive tackles Lawrence Guy, Adam Butler and Byron Cowart. New England also has Nick Thurman and Carl Davis on its active roster, although the latter has not yet played in a game for the team since getting signed off the Jacksonville Jaguars’ practice squad.
WR Isaiah Ford: Acquired via trade
As was already reported earlier on Tuesday, the Patriots made a trade with the Miami Dolphins to bring wide receiver Isaiah Ford in. The 24-year-old should offer some help in the slot — a position that was left undermanned after Julian Edelman had to be placed on injured reserve last week. While he will not be able to help the team just yet due to its Covid-19 protocols, Ford should make his debut as a Patriot in Week 10 versus Baltimore.
As is the case with Isaiah Mack, New England currently has a roster exemption for the wideout .Accordingly, neither of the two new acquisitions counts against the 53-man squad just yet. For the time being, therefore, the Patriots have one open spot following the move that sent Devin Asiasi to injured reserve.