Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel said the team plans to place Dell Pettus on injured reserve and intends to sign outside linebacker Jose Ramirez from the practice squad, a sequence first reported by Chad Graff and relayed in Vrabel’s comments to reporters. Coverage of Vrabel’s remarks was also summarized by Mike Reiss; those reports describe the moves as the team’s plan and not as completed league-processed transactions.
Quick TL;DR:
- Dell Pettus — Team plans to place him on injured reserve, per Vrabel as reported by Chad Graff.
- Jose Ramirez — Reported signing from the practice squad to the active roster, per Mike Reiss’ coverage of Vrabel’s remarks.
- These are the club’s stated plans; official NFL and team transaction posts are required to mechanically complete the moves.
What Vrabel announced
In his media availability, Mike Vrabel described the Patriots’ intention to move Dell Pettus to injured reserve and to sign Jose Ramirez from the practice squad to the 53-man roster. That set of comments was relayed in reporting by Chad Graff and summarized by Mike Reiss; for additional Vrabel context see our coverage of the coach’s prior availability in Mike Vrabel Press Conference 6 9.
Important editorial note: the team announced a plan via Vrabel’s remarks. An IR designation and active-roster signing must still be posted as official NFL transactions before they are mechanically complete. We present the reporting as the team’s stated plan, per the named sources.
Dell Pettus: contract, college and 2026 usage
Dell Pettus entered the league out of Troy and is in the final year of a three-year, $2,839,000 rookie contract. In 2026 he has appeared in two games for the New England Patriots and recorded two tackles. We are not reporting any medical diagnosis beyond the team’s stated plan to place him on injured reserve.
Roster move: Jose Ramirez promoted
According to Vrabel’s comments as reported by Mike Reiss, the Patriots plan to sign Jose Ramirez from the practice squad to the active roster. That reported promotion is presented as the immediate roster response to the team’s plan to open a spot, and the active-roster paperwork and any companion transactions are expected to follow once the club submits them to the league.
Practically, the reported addition gives the Patriots another OLB option on the 53-man roster and a likely special-teams contributor while coaches determine defensive snap allocations. As with Pettus’ IR plan, treat the Ramirez elevation as the team’s intended move rather than a completed transaction until the NFL posts it.
IR timeline and what remains unconfirmed
When a club states it plans to place a player on injured reserve, the procedural next steps are straightforward but not instantaneous: the team must submit the IR designation to the NFL, post any corresponding roster moves, and the league will publish the transactions on its wire. The interval between a coach’s media comments and the official transaction posting can vary.
Outstanding items that remain unconfirmed in public records:
- Whether the IR placement has been processed by the NFL office. The current reporting describes the team’s intention rather than a completed league transaction.
- Any specific injury diagnosis, timetable for recovery, or return expectations for Dell Pettus. Vrabel’s remarks did not include medical specifics.
- The exact roster mechanics and any ancillary roster moves that will accompany the active-roster signing of Jose Ramirez.
Watch the NFL transaction wire and the Patriots’ official transactions log for confirmation: NFL transactions and New England Patriots transactions. Those pages typically reflect league-processed moves when they are completed.
What this means for Patriots depth
If the team follows through on placing Dell Pettus on injured reserve, the Patriots would be without a young safety on the active roster, increasing the need for stable depth at safety and reliable special-teams play from remaining DBs. The reported promotion of Jose Ramirez adds an OLB option who can contribute on special teams and provide rotational depth in sub-package sets while coaches evaluate matchups and workload distribution.
Fans should view these developments as source-attributed roster management rather than finished business. The Patriots’ immediate depth picture will depend on how coaches allocate snaps, the timing of official transaction postings, and whether the club follows with additional signings or adjustments to the practice squad.
Source attribution and next steps
This report is based on reporting at NFLTradeRumors.co by Jonathan Comeaux and on the coach’s publicly relayed comments as reported by Chad Graff and summarized by Mike Reiss. The original NFLTradeRumors.co story is linked below; we will update this post when the Patriots or the NFL posts official transaction confirmations on their transaction pages.
Primary source: NFLTradeRumors.co — Patriots Placing S Dell Pettus On IR, Among Two Roster Moves by Jonathan Comeaux. Additional confirmation should be checked at the New England Patriots transactions page and the NFL transaction wire.
We will update this story when official transactions post or when the team provides further comment.
