Patriots Opt to Elevate Ekuale, Ross, Davis for Week Eighteen -- What It Means for New England

On the eve of their regular season-finale, the New England Patriots have elevated three members of their practice squad to the active roster.

However, a recent fan favorite was not among those who will be suiting up for the Pats Week Eighteen matchup with the Miami Dolphins.

According to Saturday evening’s NFL transaction wire, defensive tackle Daniel Ekuale and cornerback D’Angelo Ross will serve as COVID-19 replacements while safety Sean Davis will serve as the Patriots’ standard elevation.

Conspicuous by his absence from New England’s list of elevations is wide receiver and Week Seventeen standout Kristian Wilkerson.

What It Means for the Patriots:

Ekuale played a season-high 22 defensive snaps during his most recent appearance. The 27-year-old has recorded five tackles and two sacks through six games with New England. He has been a surprising positive addition to the Patriots interior rush, and should see meaningful minutes against the Dolphins’ versatile offense.

For the second straight week, Ross has been called up to the 53-man roster. The 25-year-old has taken 14 snaps on defense and 13 snaps on special teams. With cornerback Myles Bryant remaining on COVID-19/Reserve, the Patriots will need additional and reliable help at cornerback. As head coach Bill Belichick stated on Friday, Ross has the confidence of his teammates and coaches:

“D’Angelo is a really smart player. On scout team, he plays basically every position in the secondary. He has a really good understanding of what to do and techniques to do it in. He’s gained a lot of confidence of the coaching staff and his teammates based on is work ethic, his consistency, and dependability on a daily basis…He’s got a good background and competency in our system and has developed a lot of confidence with his teammates and his coaches. That’s why we trust him in there.”

Lastly, Davis made his Patriots’ debut on December 6, in the Patriots’ 14-10 victory over the Buffalo Bills. The 28-year-old played five downs in the secondary. Davis is no stranger to pro-level action. He entered the league as a second-round selection of the Pittsburgh Steelers in the 2016 NFL Draft. Having made 42 starts throughout his career, Davis has compiled 21 passes-defensed, 11 tackles-for-loss, seven quarterback hits and five interceptions in six NFL seasons. With fellow safety Kyle Dugger sidelined with a hand injury, Davis may be called up to provide needed depth at the position on Sunday.

Why Not Wilkerson?

Many throughout Patriots media and fandom expected Wilkerson’s name to be among the list of Patriots’ elevations for Week Eighteen. Last week, the soon-to-be 25-year-old (Wilkerson’s birthday is on January 10), delivered an impressive performance. Wilkerson earned both his first regular-season reception as well as his first touchdown; finishing the day with 42 yards on four catches with two touchdowns.

Since joining the Pats in 2020, Wilkerson has been a mainstay on the team’s practice squad. During 2021 training camp, he saw most of his reps in an X-Receiver role, in conjunction with the team getting solid contributions at the X from both Nelson Agholor and N’Keal Harry. He also received notable work on special teams’ drills; at one point, alongside special teams captain Matthew Slater. However, his preseason spotlight began to dim amidst issues with securing the catch. Though Wilkerson was rumored to be in line for a roster spot, he was released by the team during roster cutdown, and subsequently signed to the practice squad, where he has remained for the majority of the season.

With Agholor having cleared concussion protocol, and Harry’s prowess as a blocker in the running game, Wilkerson became the odd man out for Sunday’s matchup. Despite allowing 108.3 yards per game (11^th in the NFL) and 4.4 yards per carry (19^th in the NFL), Miami is still expected to make every attempt to shut down the Pats rushing attack. As such, they will need as many competent blockers as possible. With Harry filling that function, the Pats opted for the more experienced Agholor in the ‘X’ role for Sunday’s season-finale. Still, the short-term future still looks bright for the young wideout. He has both the prowess, as well as the budding synergy with Jones to deserve a chance to remain on the Pats’ positional depth chart at wide receiver into the playoffs.

The Patriots and Dolphins are set for an 4:25pm kickoff on Sunday afternoon, January 9, from Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida.