3 Patriots Most Likely to Be Inactive Against Eagles on Sunday
By Tyler Maher
Week 1 of the 2023 NFL season is finally here and the Patriots are gearing up to face the Eagles in their season opener on Sunday. With the reigning NFC champs coming to town, New England will need all hands on deck and all the help it can get if it wants to pull off the upset.
Unfortunately, even after a full preseason to prepare for Week 1, several players will not be able to suit up against Philly. Whether they’re still rehabbing from last year, suffered an injury during training camp or simply don’t fit into Bill Belichick’s game plan, not every member of the team’s 53-man roster will get in the game on Sunday.
With that in mind, here are three Patriots players that fans shouldn’t expect to see on the field this weekend.
3 Patriots Inactives Week 1
1. Pharaoh Brown
The Pats signed Pharaoh Brown off the practice squad earlier this week, giving them a full complement of three tight ends for Sunday’s game.
That said, I wouldn’t expect Brown to play much, if at all. Hunter Henry and Mike Gesicki are both ahead of him on the depth chart and should see the large majority of snaps as established veterans.
Brown’s relatively last-minute signing means he won’t have a ton of time to get in the swing of things offensively or develop much of a rapport with Mac Jones.
Brown has a fair amount of NFL experience under his belt (five seasons, 55 games, 36 starts), but hasn’t made much of an impact offensively. Now 29, he’s probably not good enough to hold his own against Philadelphia’s formidable defense.
Unless Henry or Gesicki go down with an injury, I won’t be surprised if Brown spends the whole game on the bench as a pure depth option.