Reagor is added to the 53-man roster
The Patriots on Thursday signed wide receiver Jalen Reagor to their 53-man roster.
Reagor, a 2020 first-round draft pick by the Eagles out of TCU, joined the practice squad at the end of August. The Patriots temporarily elevated him to the active roster three times this season, reaching the limit permitted by the league. In order for Reagor to be available on game days moving forward, he had to sign an NFL contract.
The Patriots now have a glut of wide receivers on their 53-man roster, with Reagor joining JuJu SmithSchuster, DeVante Parker, Kendrick Bourne, Demario Douglas, Tyquan Thornton, and Kayshon Boutte. It would be unusual if they continue to carry seven moving forward.
Of the three games he was active this year, Reagor had his biggest impact last week against the Bills. He caught his first pass from quarterback Mac Jones for an 11-yard gain and out-snapped Thornton. He also cut into the playing time of Parker, who logged a season-low 58 percent of the offense’s snaps.
Jones said he’s been familiar with Reagor since college and called working with him “great.”
“He’s a very fast football player,” Jones said Wednesday. “He does a great job learning the playbook quickly, and one of the other things is, in practice, just how impressive he is in getting open, finishing and catching the ball. So, I really have a lot of respect for him and how he works. Hopefully, he can continue to grow.”
Coach Bill Belichick, too, has praised Reagor for his development over the past two months. He specifically highlighted his contributions as a scout team player, mimicking the elite wide receivers the Patriots have had to face this season.
“He’s gotten a lot of good opportunities with some of the routes that those guys run to kind of be featured a little bit on some of the scout team plays,” Belichick said. “He’s earned some playing time, which has come from his practice time and practice performance. He’s picking up the offense. We’ll see how it goes. He’s got good talent, good guy to work with. Glad we have him.”