Sunday’s season finale at Gillette Stadium is set for 1 p.m. ET.
The New England Patriots have signed tight end La’Michael Pettway to the 53-man roster in advance of Sunday’s season finale against the New York Jets.
In additional call-ups, fellow tight end Matt Sokol and offensive tackle Andrew Stueber will both serve as standard elevations at Gillette Stadium.
Pettway, 26, joined the practice squad in late December after visiting for a workout. His contract now runs through 2024, per KPRC 2’s Aaron Wilson. The product of Arkansas and Iowa State caught 55 passes for 676 yards and six touchdowns as a redshirt senior before going undrafted in 2020. Following a run in The Spring League, he spent 2022 with the Michigan Panthers and won the USFL Championship with the Birmingham Stallions in 2023. Pettway’s first NFL stop arrived last August amid training camp with the Indianapolis Colts.
Sokol, 28, reverted to the practice squad in back-to-back weeks after facing the Denver Broncos and Buffalo Bills. He saw 11 snaps on offense to go with seven snaps on special teams over that span. Entering the NFL as an undrafted free agent in 2019, the Michigan State alum made two stops apiece with the Los Angeles Chargers, Jacksonville Jaguars and Detroit Lions before being awarded off waivers prior to organized team activities in 2022. Sokol appeared in three games as an elevation last season.
Stueber, 24, was active for the first time in his New England career on New Year’s Eve, but did not make his post-preseason debut at Highmark Stadium. Selected in the seventh round of the 2022 NFL draft at No. 245 overall, Stueber spent his rookie year on the non-football injury list and cleared waivers at the league’s 53-man roster deadline in August. The past first-team All-Big Ten offensive lineman out of Michigan subsequently signed to practice squad at its formation.
The Patriots listed a dozen as questionable while ruling out tight end Hunter Henry and offensive tackle Trent Brown on the final injury report. The former has since been placed on injured reserve to open a spot on the active roster.
Henry, 29, went from a limited participant to a non-participant for the final practice of the season. The 2015 All-American and John Mackey Award winner from Arkansas had been held out for the previous two games due to a knee injury. Those marked his first missed games since landing in Foxborough as an unrestricted free agent by way of the Chargers in 2021. His contract campaign ends as a captain with 42 receptions for 419 yards and a team-high six touchdowns across 14 appearances, including 10 starts.
Sunday’s kickoff between the 4-12 Patriots and the 6-10 Jets is set for 1 p.m. ET.