Patriots sign James Ferentz to 53-man roster as David Andrews, Josh Uche head to injured reserve

The New England Patriots signed interior offensive lineman James Ferentz to the 53-man roster amid a series of transactions on Saturday.

Center David Andrews and linebacker Josh Uche have been placed on injured reserve in corresponding moves, according to the NFL wire. Both were ruled out on the final injury report of the week. Both will now be sidelined for a minimum of three weeks as October nears.

Andrews recently underwent surgery to reportedly repair a fractured right thumb. The team captain had played every offensive snap through New England’s 1-1 start to the season while Uche, a second-round pick out of Michigan, has seen his rookie debut delayed due to ankle and foot injuries.

New England will host the Las Vegas Raiders at 1 p.m. ET Sunday with an opening on the active roster.

Ferentz, whose time with the organization dates back to 2017, takes one. The 31-year-old Iowa product rejoined on the practice squad midway through September having played in 15 games last season. Those games included the initial two starts of his career after previous stops with the Houston Texans and Denver Broncos.

In addition, the Patriots have made wide receiver Isaiah Zuber and defensive tackle Nick Thurman standard elevations from the practice squad.

Zuber arrived as an undrafted free agent in the spring. The wideout by way of Kansas State and Mississippi State would later be waived and re-signed during training camp. And Thurman, who had been promoted to record one tackle over five defensive snaps versus the Seattle Seahawks, spent all of 2019 on the scout team.

Zuber and Thurman are scheduled to revert on Monday.