Patriots Notes: Gronk, Brady, Burkhead
Last week, the Patriots dropped running back Kenjon Barner even though rookie Sony Michel is still limited in practice with a knee injury. That may indicate that the Pats believe Rex Burkhead will return to action in early December, Mike Reiss of ESPN.com writes.
Burkhead has not been seen since the third week of the season when he suffered a concussion, but he returned to practice on Nov. 8. Per the league’s IR rules, Burkhead can return to action as early as Dec. 2 against the Vikings.
Michel still figures to be the Patriots’ primary back, but Reiss expects Burkhead to enter the game in every third series. He may also get involved in the passing game after averaging 3.0 catches per game in 2017, though James White will likely lead the charge in that department.
Here’s more from New England:
- After missing three of the past four games with a back injury, tight end Rob Gronkowski is expected to play against the Jets after the bye week, sources tell ESPN’s Adam Schefter (on Twitter). Unfortunately, back and ankle trouble has hampered Gronk throughout the year. For the most part, however, he’s been productive when on the field. In seven games, Gronk has 29 catches for 448 yards and one touchdown.
- Tom Brady is finally showing signs of his age, as Ben Volin of The Boston Globe writes. The 41-year-old superstar is behind the likes of Mitchell Trubisky and Ryan Fitzpatrick in passer rating, his interception rate is its highest since 2011, and he’s struggling mightily against the blitz. Of course, the Patriots would be well-protected against Brady’s decline if they still had Jimmy Garoppolo as his backup. On the plus side, the Patriots did not tie up cap space with a huge extension for the young QB and the trade – in a roundabout way – netted them second-round cornerback Duke Dawson and the Bears’ second-round pick in 2019.
Minor NFL Transactions: 11/14/18
Today’s minor moves:
Arizona Cardinals
- Signed: CB Leonard Johnson
Los Angeles Chargers
- Signed: LB Tre’Von Johnson
New England Patriots
- Signed: LB Ramon Humber
Oakland Raiders
- Promoted from practice squad: WR Saeed Blacknall
Washington Redskins
- Waived: CB Joshua Holsey
Panthers Claim RB Kenjon Barner
The Panthers claimed former Patriot Kenjon Barner off waivers, according to a team announcement. To make room, the club waived cornerback Josh Hawkins.
This marks Barner’s third career stint with the Panthers. He’ll provide depth behind star running back Christian McCaffrey, filling a spot vacated by the recent release of veteran C.J. Anderson.
Barner came into the league as a sixth-round pick of the Panthers in 2013 and played eight games for them as a rookie. The Panthers traded him to the Eagles in 2014, but he circled back to Carolina in the offseason. When he failed to make the Panthers’ first cut, Barner hooked on with the Patriots where he cycled through the roster for a couple of months.
Barner, 28, has 19 carries for 71 yards on the season. His best offensive seasons came in 2015 and 2016 with the Eagles when he averaged 4.6 yards per carry in a limited sample of 55 total attempts.
Barner figures to serve as the fourth running back on the depth chart behind CMC, Cameron Artis-Payne, and Travaris Cadet.
Patriots Activate Duke Dawson From IR
The Patriots have officially activated second-round cornerback Duke Dawson from injured reserve to the 53-man roster, as Field Yates of ESPN.com tweets. In corresponding moves, the team released running back Kenjon Barner and linebacker Nicholas Grigsby. 
The Patriots were forced to place the rookie on IR in September due to a hamstring injury. Now, after a few weeks of practice, the former Florida Gator is good to go.
Dawson was in the mix to become New England’s slot cornerback early in camp but will likely rejoin the team as depth piece behind Jonathan Jones. In time, Dawson may overtake Jones, who Pro Football Focus grades as the league’s No. 57 ranked corner this year.
If he’s on the gameday roster, Dawson will have a chance to make his debut against the Jets in New Jersey on Nov. 25.
Patriots TE Dwayne Allen To Miss Time
Patriots tight end Dwayne Allen suffered a knee injury in Sunday’s loss to the Titans, Mike Giardi of NFL.com (on Twitter) hears. Fortunately, Allen does not need surgery, but he is expected to miss a few weeks. 
[RELATED: Patriots Were Open To Re-Signing Malcolm Butler]
The Patriots have their bye this week, so Allen has a bit of extra time to rest up. They also expect to have Rob Gronkowski in the lineup for their Nov. 25 game against the Jets, so they don’t necessarily have to make a move.
Still, even with Gronk, the Pats could arguably use a blocking tight end in the mix. Backup Jacob Hollister suited up on Sunday after healing up from a hamstring injury, but he lost weight during his recovery and no longer profiles as a prototypical blocker, as Doug Kyed of NESN tweets.
Patriots Notes: Gordon, Dawson
- Patriots receiver Josh Gordon is set to be a restricted free agent after the season, and New England will have several options about what to do. “Giving Gordon a first-round tender makes the most sense for the Patriots”, according to Doug Kyed of NESN.com. If the Patriots place a first round tender on him, any team that signed him to an offer sheet would have to give the Patriots their first round pick if New England let him walk. The Patriots could save some money by attaching a lower tender to him, but then they’d risk having him poached.
- Speaking of the Patriots, they’ll have a different decision to make in the coming weeks. The team has until Wednesday to activate second round pick Duke Dawson from injured reserve, notes Mike Reiss of ESPN.com. Reiss notes that Dawson, a rookie cornerback, has been practicing with the team for a couple of weeks but it’s unclear whether or not New England plans on activating him.
Patriots Were Open To Re-Signing Malcolm Butler
Patriots head coach Bill Belichick‘s decision to bench cornerback Malcolm Butler in Super Bowl LII was one of the league’s top storylines immediately after the Super Bowl, and even though Butler had unequivocally stated just a few days prior that he wanted to remain in New England in 2018 and beyond, the benching suggested to everyone that Butler would not be returning to the Patriots.
And indeed, although reports suggested that a number of teams expressed interest in Butler, who became an unrestricted free agent in March, the Patriots were not one of the teams named in those reports. But Ian Rapoport of NFL.com writes that New England was, in fact, open to a Butler return. The team reportedly told Butler’s agent to reach out if he could not garner a free agent contract to his liking, and Rapoport even suggests that the Pats were prepared to pay Butler $10MM per season. That report is even more surprising in light of the fact that the Patriots were prepared to trade Butler to New Orleans before the 2017 season even began and again at the 2017 trade deadline.
Of course, Butler ended up accepting a five-year, $61.25MM contract with the Titans, and Tennessee may now be wishing that Butler had taken New England up on its offer. Butler regressed in 2017, and he has not been able to return to form in Nashville. Advanced metrics peg him as one of the worst cornerbacks in the game this year, and although Rapoport confirms a report from earlier this week that the Titans do not plan to relieve Butler of his starting duties at the moment, he will need to improve considerably in order to play out the remainder of his contract.
Butler will have a chance to rebound against his old team today, as the Patriots are in Tennessee for an early afternoon matchup.
Rob Gronkowski Not Expected Back Sunday
A third Rob Gronkowski injury absence appears to be in the cards. The Patriots will not deploy their All-Pro tight end to play Sunday against the Titans, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. While Gronkowski is traveling with the team to Nashville, per ESPN.com’s Mike Reiss (on Twitter), he’s expected to be held out. Gronk missed games against the Bears and Packers but played in Buffalo on the Monday night in between those tilts. He’s been dealing with back and ankle trouble. While the Patriots have been able to win without their top pass-catcher, these repeated absences are obviously a concern for the future Hall of Famer’s availability for New England’s stretch run and potentially his post-2018 NFL future. It’s likely the Pats are attempting to rest Gronk now to hopefully see him healthy for key late-season games and the playoffs, but that can’t be considered a lock given his extensive injury history. Gronkowski hitting his incentive targets may now be unrealistic as well.
- A tough injury night against the Patriots will have after-effects for the Packers. Kevin King will not play Sunday against the Dolphins because of a hamstring injury. Bashaud Breeland, whom ESPN.com’s Rob Demovsky notes appeared to impress the Packers in his Green Bay debut, figures to see more time.
Patriots Release RB Josh Ferguson From PS
The Patriots have replaced one offensive weapon with another. NESN.com’s Doug Kyed reports that the team has signed wideout Damoun Patterson to the practice squad. The team released running back Josh Ferguson to make space on the roster.
Ferguson is the more notable of the two players, as the former undrafted free agent out of Illinois has 26 career games under his belt. The 25-year-old’s best season came in 2016, when he hauled in 20 receptions for 136 yards. He also added another 15 carries for 20 yards.
Ferguson joined the Patriots’ practice squad earlier this week. He’d have had an uphill battle to join the 53-man roster, but he surely had a shot considering the Patriots injured running backs corps. Jeremy Hill and Rex Burkhead are currently sitting on the injured reserve, and Sony Michel is hoping to return this weekend after a two-week layoff. Otherwise, the team has been relying on a combination of James White, wideout Cordarrelle Patterson, and Kenjon Barner.
Patterson, an undrafted rookie out of Youngstown State, has spent time with both the Steelers and Buccaneers this season. He had nine receptions for 112 yards with Pittsburgh during the preseason. It’s likely that the 24-year-old won’t be promoted to the active roster, as each of the Patriots’ six healthy wideouts have a role either on offense or special teams.
Patriots Signed Obi Melifonwu Through 2019
- When the Patriots signed defensive back Obi Melifonwu earlier this week, they actually inked him to a two-year deal through 2019, reports Ben Volin of the Boston Globe. While Melifonwu will only earn minimum base salaries over the next two seasons, he did receive $100K guaranteed in 2019. Given his experience level, Melifonwu would have been an exclusive rights free agent next spring, meaning New England could have kept him at little cost. But as Volin notes, the fact that the Patriots added guarantees to Melifonwu’s deal indicates they had competition for the ex-Raider (the Cowboys, Chiefs, and Saints also worked out the former second-rounder). Melifonwu can collect a $25K workout bonus, a $30K Week 1 roster bonus, and $125K in per-game roster bonuses next season.