Patriots Elevate Mike Brown, Pharms for Jaguars

The New England Patriots elevated safety Mike Brown and defensive tackle Jeremiah Pharms Jr. from the practice squad to the active roster Saturday, adding depth for Sunday’s 1 p.m. ET Week 3 game against the Jacksonville Jaguars at EverBank Stadium after a thin injury week on the edge and in the secondary.

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The club’s official announcement from Foxborough confirmed both elevations for the road matchup. Brown, 26, and Pharms, 29, join a defense already managing multiple absences as New England (1-1) tries to climb above .500 against a Jaguars team also sitting 1-1.

Patriots elevate Mike Brown for secondary help

Brown signed with New England on March 12, was released Aug. 30, and returned to the practice squad a day later. The 6-foot-1, 218-pound safety has played 38 NFL games with five starts, totaling 45 tackles, two passes defensed, and 15 special-teams stops across prior stops with Minnesota, Green Bay, Cleveland, and Tennessee. Last season he was limited to nine games by injury.

His elevation arrives with safety Craig Woodson already listed among Sunday’s inactives and Dell Pettus on injured reserve. Brown’s special-teams profile and familiarity with nickel packages make him a natural call-up if New England needs a third safety or coverage swap against Jacksonville’s multiple-tight-end looks.

Jeremiah Pharms Jr. adds interior rotation minutes

Pharms originally joined the Patriots in July 2022 after time with the USFL’s Pittsburgh Maulers. The 6-foot-2, 300-pounder has appeared in 31 games with five starts and has 45 tackles and two sacks in New England colors. Elevating him gives the defensive line another body after Dre’Mont Jones and Leonard Taylor were among the players ruled inactive for Week 3, compounding earlier attrition that included placing guard Mike Onwenu on injured reserve.

Interior depth also matters because New England has allowed just 16 points through two games—an average of 8.0 points per game—and will need a rotation that can keep Christian Barmore fresh against Jacksonville’s run game.

Week 3 inactives set the final 53

On Sunday morning the Patriots listed Jones, Woodson, tackle Dametrious Crownover, tight end Eli Raridon, Taylor, and quarterback Behren Morton as inactive. Those designations finalize how Brown and Pharms fit: Brown is the likeliest emergency safety, while Pharms can spell the defensive tackle rotation. For broader context on Friday’s designations, see the site’s Patriots injury report vs. the Jaguars and the earlier note that Mike Onwenu landed on injured reserve.

What it means in Jacksonville

Kickoff is 1 p.m. ET on CBS. Practice-squad elevations are standard Week 3 roster management, but the combination of Brown and Pharms underscores how many boxes New England is checking at once—secondary depth, interior rush, and special teams—while still sorting clock-management and offensive-line questions previewed earlier in the week. Fans tracking the full Boston sports slate can also follow the Patriots’ clock-management focus ahead of Jacksonville.

Sources: Patriots.com roster elevation release; Patriots.com Week 3 inactives; Patriots.com Week 3 game preview.

Background: Both players reverted to the practice squad after the game, as is standard for game-day elevations. Brown played 12 defensive snaps and 19 special-teams snaps against Jacksonville, and Pharms recorded one tackle, according to Pats Pulpit.

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Patriots Elevate Mike Brown, Pharms vs. Jaguars