Sunday’s kickoff at Mile High is set for 3 p.m. ET.
The New England Patriots will have a veteran starter back on hand at Mile High.
The organization officially activated wide receiver Mack Hollins from injured reserve on the eve of the AFC Championship Game versus the Denver Broncos. To make room on the 53-man roster, defensive tackle Eric Gregory has been placed on injured reserve.
Hollins, 32, was listed as questionable on the final injury report after having his practice window open on Thursday. An abdomen injury had sent the March signing to injured reserve in December, yet he went from limited to full participation to end the week. Between the end of the regular season and the start of the postseason, Hollins missed four games before becoming eligible to return. The 6-foot-4, 221-pound wideout stood atop the depth chart with 657 offensive snaps through 15 appearances. Making 13 starts since landing in Foxborough on a two-year, $8.7 million pact, his stay includes 46 receptions for 550 yards and two touchdowns.
Selected in the fourth round of the 2017 NFL draft at No. 118 overall, Hollins spent previous campaigns with the Philadelphia Eagles, Miami Dolphins, Las Vegas Raiders, Atlanta Falcons and Buffalo Bills. A North Carolina product and Super Bowl LII champion, his career has spanned 214 receptions for 2,732 yards and 18 touchdowns through 133 games, including playoffs.
Gregory, 25, will end his rookie campaign on injured reserve. The 6-foot-3, 319-pound defensive tackle appeared in seven games, including the wild card, after being claimed off waivers at Gillette Stadium as rosters around the league reached 53 in August.
Originally signed by the Cincinnati Bengals as an undrafted free agent in the May, Gregory played collegiately at Arkansas. He saw action 61 games, including 44 starts, while a member of the Razorbacks.
In additional movement ahead of the matchup with the AFC’s No. 1 seed, the Patriots elevated running back D’Ernest Johnson and defensive tackle Leonard Taylor III from the practice squad. The club also announced the release of wide receiver Trent Sherfield Sr. from the practice squad.
Johnson, 29, has made nine appearances since heading to New England in October, totaling 25 yards as a rusher and 175 yards as a kickoff returner across stints on the practice squad and active roster. The 5-foot-11, 205-pound running back stands as a veteran of 107 combined NFL games. He has tallied 228 carries for 1,014 yards, 53 catches for 467 yards, plus three starts and three touchdowns in the regular season. Undrafted out of South Florida in 2018, the Alliance of American Football alum has also been a member of the Cleveland Browns, Jacksonville Jaguars, Baltimore Ravens and Arizona Cardinals.
Taylor, 23, has now served as a standard elevation for a trio of playoff games after reaching the three-time limit in the finale of the regular season. Also added to the practice squad in October, the 6-foot-3, 305-pound defensive tackle’s time with the AFC East champions has brought eight tackles and one quarterback hit. Entering the league with the New York Jets in 2024, the former Miami Hurricane has logged 35 tackles, 1.5 sacks and five stops for loss through 21 combined games.
Sherfield, 29, joined New England’s practice squad leading up to the divisional round and remained in that capacity until Saturday. The 6-foot-1, 206-pound wideout entered the NFL out of Vanderbilt as an undrafted free agent in 2018. He made prior stops with the six organizations, including the Broncos from March into November. A veteran of 124 games and 14 starts, Sherfield has caught 89 passes for 1,034 yards and six touchdowns in the regular season.
The Patriots downgraded running back Terrell Jennings and defensive tackle Joshua Farmer from questionable to out before traveling to Colorado. After sustaining a concussion and a hamstring injury, respectively, both recently had their activation windows open and will remain on injured reserve for Sunday.
Kickoff at Empower Field is set for 3 p.m. ET.
Category: General Sports
