Patriots Daily: Tyrone Wheatley Jr. Released; Atlanta Wins on MNF

The New England Patriots made several roster moves Monday. As previously reported on Patriots Football Now, they signed two players to their practice squad, released two practice squad players, and added Michael Jordan to the 53-man roster. Lost in all of those transactions was the team also releasing offensive lineman Tyrone Wheatley Jr. off of injured reserve.

New England had released Wheatley with an injury designation previously. When he went unclaimed, they brought him back and placed him on injured reserve. Wheatley’s release means there will be an injury settlement, and he will soon be allowed to sign with any NFL team and be eligible to play this season.

The Patriots traded RB Pierre Strong Jr. to the Cleveland Browns to obtain Tyrone Wheatley Jr. before Cutdown Day in 2023. Wheatley played a total of five special teams snaps over the first two games last season before being inactive for three straight. New England placed Wheatley on injured reserve after Week 5 with a knee injury, which ultimately ended his first season with the team.

There was optimism that 2024 would be a bounce-back year for Tyrone Wheatley Jr. when the team opted to bring him back as an exclusive rights free agent (ERFA). He played under offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt and offensive line coach Scott Peters in Cleveland. But Wheatley was unable to stay healthy enough to make a positive impression. Now his time in New England is over, at least for the time being.

Falcons Beat Eagles on Monday Night Football

There was one final upset in the NFL before Week 2 came to an end. The Atlanta Falcons beat the Philadelphia Eagles 22-21. After the Eagles kicked a field goal to take a 21-15 lead with 1:39 remaining in the fourth quarter, ESPN’s win probability model gave them a 97.6% chance to win the game. But Falcons QB Kirk Cousins completed five straight passes to lead Atlanta 70 yards downfield, winning the game on a seven-yard pass to Drake London.

KIRK FINDS DRAKE LONDON IN THE END ZONE WITH LESS THAN A MINUTE LEFT 😱

FALCONS TAKE A ONE-POINT LEAD 🔥 pic.twitter.com/47hDFw2RO1

— ESPN (@espn) September 17, 2024

Six of the top ten teams from the NFL Power Rankings lost in Week 2: The 49ers (No. 2), Cowboys (No. 3), Eagles (No. 4), Lions (No. 5), Dolphins (No. 8), and Ravens (No. 9). Only Miami lost to a higher-ranked team, the No. 6 Bills. Needless to say, the NFL Power Rankings for Week 3 will have a completely different look.

Also in Tuesday’s Patriots Daily:

Patriots Fact/Trivia of the Day

Snap counts in the NFL were first tracked in 2012. Since then, there have been ten New England Patriots to play for the team, but play five or fewer snaps:

1 – Ishmaa’ily Kitchen, Marcus Martin, Quandre Mosely

3 – Kai Forbath, Bill Murray

4 – Travaris Cadet, Michael Jackson, Kellen Winslow II

5 – Bernard Reedy, Tyrone Wheatley Jr.

Post of the Day

Today’s post comes from The Censored Rock, showing Los Angeles Rams defensive linemen learning the comfortable “old man” posture from defensive lineman Kobie Turner:

Ok this got me 😂 pic.twitter.com/J4U5icNzzM

— Rock (@TheCensoredRock) September 14, 2024

Patriots Coverage

Report: Ja’Whaun Bentley Out for the Season With Torn Pec – NFL Network’s Ian Rapaport reported that New England Patriots linebacker Ja’Whaun Bentley could be done for the season with a torn pec. He left Sunday’s game with a reported shoulder injury and did not return. The loss of the team captain would be a huge blow to the Patriots defense.

Breaking Down PFF’s Week 2 New England Patriots Grades – New England’s running back and tight end Hunter Henry were bright spots on the offense against Seattle. The wide receivers and offensive tackles struggled. The defense had some disappointing cornerback play. See the best and worst of Week 2 for New England, according to Pro Football Focus.

Meet the Newest New England Patriot: DJ James – Meet DJ James. I had the cornerback from Auburn as a Round 3-4 prospect in April’s draft. Seattle took him in Round 6 but cut him at the end of training camp. Now, he is a member of the Patriots practice squad.

More Monday Roster Moves for the New England Patriots – Adding DJ James was not the only roster move for the Patriots on Monday. They also released two practice squad players, elevated Michael Jordan to the 53-man roster, and added rookie safety Mark Perry to the practice squad. Find out more about all the moves.