New England made three total transactions on Wednesday.

With players returning to work, the New England Patriots officially ended their Christmas break on Wednesday. And the first day back already was a busy one: not only did the team hold its first practice leading up to the upcoming game against the Buffalo Bills, it also made three total transactions.

Cornerback Marco Wilson was claimed off waivers following his release from the Arizona Cardinals; running back Rhamondre Stevenson was placed on injured reserve; tight end La’Michael Pettway was signed to the practice squad. The first two of those moves are particularly noteworthy, given that they impact the Patriots’ active roster with only two weeks to go in the 2023 regular season.

So, with that said, let’s take a closer look at what they mean from a big-picture perspective.

CB Marco Wilson: Claimed off waivers

New England adds experience to its cornerback group: A fourth-round draft pick by the Cardinals in 2024, Wilson has appeared in a combined 44 regular season and playoff games with 38 starts over the course of his three-year NFL career. He has been on the field for a total of 2,271 defensive snaps, meaning that he now ranks second among New England’s cornerbacks behind only Jonathan Jones in terms of on-field opportunities.

In those 44 games, Wilson registered three interceptions — including one returned for a touchdown — as well as three forced fumbles.

The Patriots address a their depth on the outside: Wilson has spent most of his career in the NFL working on the perimeter, and therefore helps the Patriots address a spot in the lineup that has seen some turnover this season.

The initial hope was that the Patriots would roll with Christian Gonzalez and Jack Jones manning the outside spots. However, Gonzalez suffered a season-ending shoulder injury in Week 4 and Jones was released in mid-November following a series of off-field incidents.

New England did acquire J.C. Jackson via trade in early October, but he has since been moved to the non-football illness list. Fellow in-season addition Alex Austin, meanwhile, has seen inconsistent playing time since joining the club from the waiver wire in early November.

With Wilson now in the fold, the Patriots’ perimeter depth consists of him, Jonathan Jones, Shaun Wade, and Alex Austin. Myles Bryant offers experienced depth on the interior, with safety/cornerback hybrid Jalen Mills as well as practice squad members Breon Borders and Azizi Hearn also factoring into the mix.

The secondary has gotten a lot more athletic: Wilson had to wait until Day 3 in the 2021 NFL Draft to hear his name called, but it certainly had little to do with a lack of athleticism. Based on his pre-draft workout numbers, after all, he is one of the most athletic cornerbacks to come out in the last 36 years:

So, why was he a fourth-round pick? Some of it had to do with his inconsistent technique and a lack of discipline and playmaking ability on the field. Drawing a penalty for throwing a cleat — an infraction that helped LSU upset Florida in 2020 — likely also did not help his case.

Wilson also offers special teams versatility: While a majority of his career snaps have come on defense, the Cardinals also used him in the kicking game from time to time. He saw regular action on the field goal/extra point blocking teams, and also was used as a vice player on the punt return squad.

Wilson is a longer-term investment: While he will appear in a maximum of two games for the Patriots this season, Wilson being one-and-done is no guarantee. The Patriots, after all, acquired the entirety of his rookie contract when they claimed him off waivers.

This means that he remains under contract for 2024 as well. Considering the uncertainty at the position with neither J.C. Jackson nor Myles Bryant guaranteed to return, getting Wilson a head start into next season makes some sense.

RB Rhamondre Stevenson: Placed on injured reserve

All eyes are on 2024: The Patriots and Stevenson held out hope for a return this season despite him suffering a high ankle sprain earlier this month. After three games on the inactives list, however, it has become clear that the comeback being postponed is the best course of action for all involved.

For Stevenson, this means that he is on to 2024 — the final year of his own rookie contract.

Ezekiel Elliott will finish the season as RB1: With Stevenson officially shut down for the remainder of the year, the Patriots’ running back group for the final two games will consist of Ezekiel Elliott as the top option. The veteran, who was acquired as a free agent back in August, already served as New England’s RB1 the last three games when Stevenson was out.

In those contests, the veteran took a majority of offensive snaps and registered 45 carries for 120 yards while also catching the ball 21 times for 126 yards and two touchdowns. His usage is not expected to change in Weeks 17 and 18.

Behind Elliott, New England will use recent practice squad elevatee Kevin Harris as their No. 2. He is expected to play fewer snaps than the starter, but still get the occasional carry to give Elliott a breather. JaMycal Hasty appears to be an emergency option at this point in his Patriots career, something that is also true for practice squad back Ke’Shawn Vaughn.

New England will again not have a back-to-back 1,000-yard rusher: The writing was already on the wall with Stevenson missing three straight games. Now, however, it is official: the Patriots will not have a 1,000-yard running back this season. As a result, their streak of not having a back-to-back 1,000-yard rusher will extend to 25 seasons.

The last time two backs managed to break that barrier in consecutive seasons was 1997 and 1998, when Curtis Martin and Robert Edwards reached that mark. Martin also is the last individual player to manage two straight 1,000-yard campaigns.

Yet another starter gets added to IR: Stevenson is the latest member of the Patriots’ starting lineup to get sent to injured reserve, joining players such as guard Cole Strange, edge Matthew Judon and cornerback Christian Gonzalez. Additionally, both of the projected starting right tackles this season — Calvin Anderson and Riley Reiff — are on IR as well, as are several players that likely would have seen prominent action as rotational pieces had they stayed healthy.

In total, New England now has 14 players on its injured reserve list. In total, they have sent 19 to IR going back to the offseason.