With tight end Austin Hooper, who has caught 13 passes from quarterback Drake Maye for 174 yards and a touchdown, unavailable on Thursday as he remains in the NFL’s concussion protocol, the New England Patriots may have been expected to elevate a tight end off their practice squad for Thursday Night’s game against the AFC East cellar-dwelling New York Jets.
The Patriots have two tight ends waiting for their call-up from the practice squad.
C.J. Dippre joined the Patriots in April as an undrafted free agent after two seasons at Alabama where he caught 65 passes for 782 yards. But while coach Mike Vrabel saw enough in Dippre to keep him around after the preseason â cutting him on August 26 before signing him back to the New England practice squad the following day â the 23-year-old has yet to touch the field in an actual Patriots game so far.
Neither has 28-year-old Thomas Odukoya, who was picked up by New England on October 16 after the Tennessee Titans waived him two days before.
Odukoya, signed as an undrafted free agent out of Eastern Michigan by the Titans in 2022, has received a taste of NFL action, getting into two games for Tennessee in 2024, but primarily as a special teams player.
Patriots Add a Linebacker
That leaves the Patriots with 10-year veteran Hunter Henry as the lone tight end Thursday.
“Patriots going light at TE, and this would seem to indicate RB Terrell Jennings (knee, questionable) will dress for the game,” wrote longtime ESPN Patriots correspondent Mike Reiss on Thursday afternoon.
Instead, the Patriots went with a linebacker â one who also received an elevation from the practice squad for last week’s game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers â former Kansas City Chiefs linebacker Darius Harris.
Harris Has Super Bowl Experience
The 27-year-old Harris first signed with the Chiefs as an undrafted free agent in 2019, out of Middle Tennessee. He played on three Super Bowl teams with the Chiefs, taking home two rings in the process as a member of both the 2022 and 2023 squads.
“Harris stepped up for the Chiefs during the 2022 regular season with Willie Gay Jr. suspended at the time,” recounted Pete Sweeney, Chiefs beat reporter for the Kansas City Star. “Appearing in 17 regular-season games, he recorded 43 tackles (23 solo), including three for a loss and 1.5 sacks. Harris added five tackles in the playoffs, including one in Kansas Cityâs Super Bowl win over the Philadelphia Eagles.”
Harris also saw the field in the Chiefs’ 2020 and 2023 Super Bowl runs, though he was not credited with any tackles in either.
Time With Raiders, Cowboys
Harris spent time in 2023 on the Las Vegas Raiders‘ practice squad. After the Chiefs’ Super Bowl winning 2023 season, he became a free agent and signed with the Dallas Cowboys. He got into four games in Dallas, where he was credited with just one assisted tackle.
Thursday’s game will not be the first time Harris has seen the field for the Patriots. In their Week 10 game in Tampa Bay, Harris had no stats, but in Week 4, when the Patriots blew out the Carolina Panther 42-13 â the win that kicked off the seven-game win streak New England takes into the Thursday Night Football matchup against the Jets â Harris recorded one solo tackle, and one of the assisted variety.
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