Now that the Patriots have played six games, it means players who started the year on the physically unable to perform list (PUP) are eligible to begin practicing and can play in games.
New England has three players that this applies to: quarterback Jarrett Stidham, linebacker Terez Hall and defensive tackle Byron Cowart.
Stidham underwent back surgery during training camp, while Hall and Cowart have not been on the field dating back to the OTAs during the spring.
It’s unclear if the Patriots have any plans of activating any of these players, but Stidham is the most interesting. He could be viewed as a better backup option than Brian Hoyer, which was the case last year after Hoyer’s start in Kansas City. Hoyer’s roster spot doesn’t appear to be in danger as the team would just carry three quarterbacks like it did all of last season.
Stidham has been present at virtually every practice since training camp, so we’ll see what happens.
Hall saw a decent amount of playing time last season due to injuries at his position, but he may have a tough time cracking the lineup this year with all the linebackers the team now has. It could make more sense for him to stay on PUP.
As for Cowart, he would be competing with Davon Godchaux, Lawrence Guy, Christian Barmore and Carl Davis for playing time. Like Hall, remaining on PUP might make the most sense unless an injury arises.
Players coming off PUP/ injured reserve can practice for up to 21 days before getting officially activated to the 53-man roster. If they are not added to the roster after 21 days, they would revert to the reserve list and be ineligible to play the rest of the season.