As one wide receiver arrived on the New England Patriots’ 53-man roster, another departed.
New England waived November acquisition Isaiah Ford amid a series of Saturday moves as the reported signing of Donte Moncrief from the practice squad became official.
Ford, 24, had yet to make his debut after landing by way of the Miami Dolphins in exchange for a conditional 2022 sixth-round draft choice at the NFL’s trade deadline. The Virginia Tech product caught 18 passes for 184 yards through seven games this fall on the other side of the AFC East.
Additionally, New England announced the signing of veteran defensive tackle Akeem Spence to the active roster, the activation of rookie tight end Dalton Keene from injured reserve, and the elevation of undrafted outside linebacker Rashod Berry from the practice squad.
Spence, 29, had reverted to the scout team along with the aforementioned Moncrief after taking to the Gillette Stadium field last Sunday against the Arizona Cardinals. He recorded four tackles through his first 14 defensive snaps after signing the week prior. Spence originally entered the league out of Illinois in the fourth round of the 2013 draft.
Keene, 21, saw his window to return from IR open on Wednesday after missing New England’s past three contests due to a knee injury. The tight end from Virginia Tech has caught one pass for eight yards over the course of 24 snaps on offense and seven on special teams since getting the call at No. 101 overall in April.
And Berry, 24, checks in as a standard elevation after being a Covid-19 replacement earlier in his rookie season. He handled four snaps on defense and eight snaps on special teams against the Denver Broncos in October. Berry played on both sides of the ball during his tenure at Ohio State and agreed to terms with New England as part of the 2020 undrafted class.
The Patriots visit the Los Angeles Chargers for a 4:25 p.m. ET kickoff Sunday at SoFi Stadium.