Patriots place Dell Pettus on injured reserve, promote Jose Ramirez

The New England Patriots placed safety Dell Pettus on injured reserve Wednesday and are moving outside linebacker Jose Ramirez from the practice squad to the 53-man roster. Coach Mike Vrabel confirmed both moves during his Sept. 23 press conference, four days after Pettus left the team's win over Pittsburgh with an ankle injury.

Pettus was hurt on a special teams play in the second quarter of Sunday's 20-3 victory. He was initially questionable to return, then ruled out. Injured reserve keeps him out for a minimum of four games. That makes this a longer absence than a week-to-week availability question, although the Patriots have not supplied a return date.

The absence affects more than the safety rotation. Pettus played in every game since joining New England as an undrafted free agent in 2024, according to Pats Pulpit, including Super Bowl LX. He had become a regular on the coverage units and a reserve defender. Losing that dependable special teams role alongside secondary depth leaves New England with a personnel decision before Sunday's road game against Jacksonville.

Why Ramirez gets the roster spot

The Patriots chose an outside linebacker for the vacancy rather than replacing Pettus with another safety immediately. Vrabel said Ramirez had been a strong practice player and had earned recognition for his work on the scout team. The coach said the promotion creates a chance for Ramirez to help this week, while leaving his game-day role open. A place on the 53-man roster does not guarantee that he will be active Sunday.

New England is also watching other injuries from the Steelers game. Vrabel said Dre'Mont Jones and safety Craig Woodson were unlikely to do much at Wednesday's practice, and he expected Quintayvious Hutchins to be limited as well. Those comments are an early-week assessment, not final game statuses. The club's practice reports and Sunday inactive list will clarify whether Ramirez is needed on defense and how the safety group is arranged without Pettus.

For the Patriots, the immediate consequence is roster flexibility. Ramirez adds a body at an edge position that may be short-handed, while Pettus' special teams snaps and reserve safety work still need to be assigned. Jacksonville's offense and its home field make that preparation more than bookkeeping. The team's final deployment will be clearer after the remaining practices, but Pettus' move to injured reserve settles one part of the Week 3 picture now.