The New England Patriots announced they have placed defensive lineman Beau Allen and running back Damien Harris on the injured reserve list.
New England can return three players from IR this season. They are eligible to return as soon as Week 4.
As corresponding moves, the Patriots signed linebacker Cassh Maluia and running back J.J. Taylor to the 53-man roster from the practice squad. It’s a standard shuffling of players following the team’s trim to 53 men on Saturday.
Harris underwent surgery on his pinky last week, according to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport. The running back was in the mix to serve as the top running back before suffering his injury. With Harris on IR and Lamar Miller getting cut, Sony Michel has incidentally emerged as the team’s top running back on early downs.
Allen looked like a strong candidate to serve as a starting defensive tackle in 2020 when the team signed him not long after seeing Danny Shelton leave in free agency. Allen’s absence in training camp could lead to the emergence of second-year defensive tackle Byron Cowart, however.
New England selected Maluia in the sixth round of the 2020 draft out of Wyoming. The Patriots added Taylor as an undrafted free agent out of Arizona.
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