The New England Patriots made a series of roster moves on Monday, including one involving Chukwuma Okorafor’s spot on the 53-man roster. The other four moves deal strictly with New England’s practice squad.
Let’s go over the details of the moves and provide an update on Okorafor.
Patriots Promote Michael Jordan From Practice Squad
The Patriots signed guard Michael Jordan from the practice squad to fill Okorafor’s spot on the roster. Okorafor, who started at left tackle in Week 1 but was benched after 12 snaps, left the team before last Sunday’s home opener and reportedly is considering retirement.
Jordan was elevated from the practice squad to start at left guard in each of the first two games. It’s unclear whether Jordan will remain the starting left guard when Sidy Sow is ready to return from injury, but he played well in both games and is a solid depth piece.
New England also made the following four practice squad transactions:
- Signed cornerback DJ James
- Signed safety Mark Perry
- Released linebacker Yvandy Rigby
- Released safety A.J. Thomas
The Patriots likely will make more roster moves ahead of Thursday night’s road game against the New York Jets. Most notably, they’ll need to find a roster replacement for linebacker Ja’Whaun Bentley, who reportedly could miss the rest of the season due to a torn pectoral muscle.
What’s the Latest on Chukwuma Okorafor?
Okorafor began the summer as New England’s projected top tackle and initially showed promise. However, he struggled for most of training camp and only started Week 1 because Vederian Lowe was injured.
Along the way, multiple rumors indicated Okorafor was an enigma behind the scenes and resistant to switching from right tackle, his primary position, to the left side.
Okorafor was at every practice ahead of the Week 2 game against the Seattle Seahawks. But the 27-year-old was placed on the exempt/left squad list on Saturday, meaning he won’t count against the 53-man roster until his situation is resolved.
So, what’s going on?
MassLive’s Karen Guregian reported that Okorafor is “frustrated with his play” and is “reconsidering if he still wants to play football.” Patriots head coach Jerod Mayo has since indicated Okorafor is considering retirement.
“Chuks left the building,” Mayo said on Monday. “He’s not with the team. He’s doing some thinking, but at this point in time, he’s not with the team, so I don’t want to get into that.
“I told you guys I did give him a call. We had a good call. It had nothing to do with football or a roster spot; it had everything to do with just making sure that he was okay.”
Lowe started at left tackle against the Seahawks but suffered a knee injury late in the fourth quarter. He was replaced by rookie Caedan Wallace, who appears primed to make his first NFL start this week.
New England and New York will kick off from MetLife Stadium at 8:15 p.m. ET on Thursday.