The New England Patriots have made several transactions ahead of their Sunday’s clash with the Buffalo Bills. The Patriots have released defensive lineman Ricky Jean Francois and offensive lineman Jason King from the 53-man roster and signed defensive lineman Geneo Grissom and wide receiver Bernard Reedy from the practice squad. The Patriots need an additional target for quarterback Tom Brady with wide receiver Chris Hogan still out with a shoulder injury. Aside from Hogan, tackle Marcus Cannon will not play against the Bills due to an ankle injury.
In another move, the Patriots signed defensive Marcus Hardison to the practice squad.
In Grissom, the Patriots will be getting a younger defensive lineman in place of the 31-year-old Jean Francois. The Patriots released the 25-year-old Grissom from the 53-man roster on November 9 and signed him to the practice two days later. The 6-foot-4 Grissom was a third-round pick of the Patriots in the 2015 NFL Draft. Grissom began the 2017 season on the practice squad before he was signed to the 53-man lineup on September 22. As a reserve, Grissom has played 29 games for the Patriots in the last three seasons, tallying registered six tackles on defense and six special teams tackles.
Jean Francois played three games for Patriots
After he was released by the Green Bay Packers on November 1, the Patriots signed Jean Francois to the 53-man roster on November 7. The 6-foot-3 Jean Francois played three games as a reserve for the Patriots, recording three tackles. Before joining the Patriots, he played six games for the Packers.
A seventh-round pick by San Francisco in the 2009 NFL Draft, Jean Francois suited up for the 49ers from 2009 to 2012 before playing for the Indianapolis Colts from 2013 to 2014 and the Washington Redskins from 2015 to 2016) and the Packers in 2017.
Patriots need another wideout
The Patriots took in the 26-year-old Reedy to the practice squad on November 22 after he was released by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on November 17.
In nine games for the Buccaneers, Reedy caught two passes for 21 yards and ran three times for 17 yards. Reedy started his NFL career as a rookie free agent with the Atlanta Falcons in 2014. The Patriots originally signed the 24-year-old King as a rookie free agent on May 5, but he was released before the start of the season. King was signed to the practice squad on September 20 but was released on October 9. After several weeks with the Baltimore Ravens practice squad, King was signed by the Patriots to the 53-man roster on November 28. The Patriots brought in the 25-year-old Hardison to the practice squad after the Jacksonville Jaguars released him on November 20.
