The New England Patriots released their Week 6 inactives ahead of Sunday’s game against the Houston Texans.
Veteran linebacker Sione Takitaki is set to make his first official start for the Patriots, while wide receiver Tyquan Thornton is a healthy scratch for the game.
The Patriots have struggled to slow down the ground game with Ja’Whaun Bentley and Christian Barmore out of the lineup. There’s hope that adding another viable linebacker like Takitaki to the mix will provide a boost to the run defense.
However, the biggest surprise for some will be Thornton being a healthy scratch for the game. He went from being a starter and the team’s expected top deep threat option in the opener to not even getting on the field six weeks into the season.
Here’s the full list of inactives for both teams heading into Week 6:
Patriots inactives
WR Javon Baker
WR Tyquan Thornton
QB Joe Milton III
RB Rhamondre Stevenson
LS Joe Cardona
G Layden Robinson
DT Eric Johnson
Texans inactives
WR Robert Woods
CB Kamari Lassiter
S Jimmie Ward
G Nick Broeker
OLB Rashad Weaver
Some good news for the Patriots defense will be the return of safety Kyle Dugger, who missed last week’s game against the Miami Dolphins with an ankle injury.
That’s a huge break for the Patriots with their other safety, Jabrill Peppers, currently on the Commissioner’s Exempt List.
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