Patriots Activate Mack Hollins From IR
An already strong Patriots offense will welcome back a key reinforcement against the Broncos in Sunday’s AFC Championship Game. The Patriots have activated wide receiver Mack Hollins from injured reserve. Hollins landed on IR with an abdomen injury on Dec. 27.
After a solid 2025 showing with AFC East rival Buffalo, Hollins joined New England on a two-year, $8.4MM agreement in free agency. The move reunited Hollins with offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels, who first coached the well-traveled wideout in Las Vegas in 2022.
Hollins posted career highs in receptions (57), targets (94) and yards (690) in his lone season with the Raiders, and he was similarly productive this year before his IR stint. In his first 15 games as a Patriot, the 32-year-old Hollins hauled in 46 receptions on 65 targets, racked up 550 yards, and found the end zone twice.
Despite missing the last two games of the regular season, Hollins led Pats receivers in snaps (657), edging out Kayshon Boutte and Stefon Diggs. The Patriots and MVP-contending quarterback Drake Maye nonetheless rattled off four straight wins without Hollins, including playoff victories over the Chargers and Texans.
With a win in Denver over backup quarterback Jarrett Stidham, a former Patriot who will fill in for the injured Bo Nix, New England will earn its 12th trip to the Super Bowl. The Patriots will enter the game as rare road favorites, and the return of Hollins should further increase their chances of pulling it out.
Along with activating Hollins, the Patriots made a handful of other roster moves on Saturday. The team placed defensive tackle Eric Gregory on IR, elevated running back D’Ernest Johnson and DT Leonard Taylor from the practice squad, and released receiver Trent Sherfield from its taxi squad.
Sherfield, who played 10 games with the Broncos this season, signed with the Patriots on Jan. 13. There’s little doubt the Patriots quizzed Sherfield on the Broncos during his short stay in New England.
NFL Practice Squad Updates: 1/23/26
Here is today’s only practice squad transaction:
New England Patriots
- Released: DE Darrell Taylor
A former part-time starter as a second-round pick with the Seahawks, Taylor racked up 21.5 sacks in his first three seasons. He’s struggled to maintain that success ever since in stops at Chicago, Houston, and now New England, where he failed to appear in a game.
Pats WR Mack Hollins Returns To Practice
Mack Hollins could be available to the Patriots in time for this week’s AFC title game. The veteran receiver has returned to practice, as noted by Doug Kyed of the Boston Herald.
An abdomen injury suffered in December landed Hollins on injured reserve late in the regular season. That ensured an absence of at least four games stretching into the start of the playoffs. With New England managing to win at home in the wild-card and divisional rounds, though, a return to action is now in play.
Hollins has played for six teams (including three in the AFC East) over the course of his career. He landed a two-year deal in free agency last offseason to join the Patriots, a move which has proved worthwhile. In 15 games during his first New England season, Hollins posted 550 yards and a pair of touchdowns on 46 catches.
Those totals fall short of his career-best Raiders output from 2022, but they demonstrate Hollins’ importance to New England’s passing attack. Having the 32-year-old back in the fold in time Sunday’s game against a strong Broncos defense could prove to be critical. Overall, the Patriots have 21 days to activate Hollins so a win this week would still leave the door open to a Super Bowl return.
New England has Stefon Diggs and Kayshon Boutte – who ranked first and second in regular season receiving yards by wideouts on the team – in place. Diggs topped 1,000 yards during his debut Patriots campaign, while Boutte’s one-handed touchdown against the Texans played a key role in ensuring the team would advance to this week’s AFC championship. Receiving a secondary contribution from Hollins would of course be welcomed.
The former fourth-rounder is one of three players whose practice windows are currently open. The Patriots have six IR activations available with no more than two games remaining in their season.
Minor NFL Transactions: 1/21/26
Wednesday’s minor moves:
New England Patriots
- Designated for return from IR: DT Joshua Farmer
Seattle Seahawks
- Designated for return from IR: RB George Holani
With only four teams remaining in the hunt for the Lombardi Trophy, there are fewer and fewer minor transactions from day-to-day. Today, though, the Patriots and Seahawks opened the 21-day practice windows for backups Farmer and Holani. The Patriots stand to benefit the most from today’s transactions as they look for the fourth-round Florida State rookie to potentially end his first year of play on the field.
Minor NFL Transactions: 1/17/26
Here are today’s minor moves, including standard gameday practice squad elevations for the rest of the divisional round of the playoffs:
Chicago Bears
- Elevated: TE Nikola Kalinic
Houston Texans
- Elevated: DT Leki Fotu
Los Angeles Rams
- Elevated: S Tanner Ingle, LB Elias Neal
New England Patriots
- Activated from IR: CB Alex Austin
- Elevated: RB D’Ernest Johnson, DT Leonard Taylor III
San Francisco 49ers
- Elevated: T Brandon Parker, DL Sebastian Valdez
Seattle Seahawks
- Elevated: RB Velus Jones Jr.
NFL Practice Squad Updates: 1/14/26
Here’s are Wednesday’s practice squad transactions:
Houston Texans
- Signed: S Brandon Hill
- Released: T Jaylon Thomas
New England Patriots
- Signed: DE Darrell Taylor
- Released: RB Elijah Mitchell
San Francisco 49ers
- Signed: S Darrick Forrest, TE Hayden Rucci
- Released: WR Javon Baker
The Patriots added an experienced pass rusher to their taxi squad today. Taylor, a second-round pick for the Seahawks in 2020, racked up 21.5 sacks in his first three seasons of NFL ball, but he didn’t see the same success in his fourth year after getting traded to the Bears. Injuries would limit him in Chicago and Houston, where he signed following the expiration of his rookie deal, as he only appeared in four games with the Texans this season. He now arrives in New England as Mike Vrabel and Co. are making a strong playoff push after a surprising one-year turnaround.
Minor NFL Transactions: 1/14/26
Here are today’s midweek minor moves:
Buffalo Bills
- Placed on IR: WR Tyrell Shavers (story)
Carolina Panthers
- Waived: S D’Anthony Bell
Houston Texans
- Reverted to season-ending IR: CB Ajani Carter
New England Patriots
- Designated for return from IR: RB Terrell Jennings
After tearing his ACL, further thinning out the Bills’ postseason wide receiving corps, Shavers has been placed on injured reserve. Buffalo has an experienced name or two on its practice squad that could end up filling in.
Carter wasn’t able to make it off IR within his 21-day practice window. He’ll revert back to IR without the ability to be activated again this season.
NFL Practice Squad Updates: 1/13/26
Here are Tuesday’s practice squad moves from around the NFL:
Buffalo Bills
- Signed: WR Kristian Wilkerson
Los Angeles Rams
- Signed: DB Alex Johnson
New England Patriots
- Signed: CB Miles Battle, RB D’Ernest Johnson, OT Lorenz Metz, WR Trent Sherfield
- Released: DL Fabien Lovett, WR Brandon Smith
The Patriots are the third team of the season for Sherfield, who spent time with the Broncos and Cardinals. Sherfield has never been much of a receiving threat (he combined for three catches in 12 games with Denver and Arizona), but he has been a solid special teamer since his career began in 2018. The 29-year-old posted a 51% special teams snap share in 10 games with the Broncos. After they cut him in mid-November, he played 63% of ST snaps in two contests with the Cardinals.
NFL Practice Squad Updates: 1/12/26
One practice squad move to pass along:
New England Patriots
- Released: OT Sebastian Gutierrez
Sebastian Gutierrez has bounced around the NFL a bit since going undrafted out of Minot State in 2022. He’s seen time in two career games, one with the Raiders (2022) and one with the 49ers (2024). He’s spent most of the 2025 campaign on New England’s practice squad.
Minor NFL Transactions: 1/12/26
Today’s minor moves:
Houston Texans
- Activated from IR: S Jaylen Reed
- Elevated: DT Leki Fotu
- Waived: DE Darrell Taylor
New England Patriots
- Waived: RB D’Ernest Johnson
Pittsburgh Steelers
- Elevated: CB Tre Flowers, CB D’Shawn Jamison
The Texans will get some extra reinforcement on their secondary and special teams for tonight’s playoff matchup. A rookie sixth-round pick, Jaylen Reed has spent half of the 2025 season on the sideline. He started the season on PUP thanks to a knee injury, but he managed to make his NFL debut in late October. He ended up getting into seven games (one start) for Houston, collecting 14 tackles (12 of which came in one game) in 73 defensive snaps. He landed on injured reserve in December after suffering a forearm injury that required surgery.