The New England Patriots placed offensive lineman Greg Van Roten on injured reserve, according to Trade Rumors. The report says he must miss at least four games before becoming eligible to return. The move removes Van Roten from the Patriots’ active roster for that minimum period, while leaving open whether he will be ready to play once he becomes eligible.
Greg Van Roten injured reserve timeline and injury details
The four-game minimum is an eligibility threshold, not a confirmed return date or a guarantee that Van Roten will return as soon as he is eligible. The report does not provide a specific date for his possible return, and it does not say whether he will be able to resume playing immediately after the required absence. Eligibility and readiness are separate questions: the report establishes the minimum time he must miss, but not what happens after that period.
Trade Rumors did not specify the nature or severity of Van Roten’s injury. It did not identify when he was hurt, describe a diagnosis, or provide a timetable beyond the injured-reserve requirement. As a result, the available information supports only the basic roster update and the minimum absence. It would be premature to treat the four-game mark as a prediction of when he will be back on the field.
The report described the move as another injury hit to a Patriots front five that has been banged up. That provides context for the roster change: Van Roten’s absence comes amid existing injury concerns along the offensive front. However, the report does not name other affected players or give details about the condition of the rest of the line, so it does not establish how many players are unavailable or how the group will look in the next game.
The report also does not identify a replacement or say how the Patriots plan to address Van Roten’s absence. It contains no announcement of a promotion, signing, or change to the starting lineup in response to the injured-reserve placement. The transaction therefore confirms Van Roten’s status but does not explain the team’s next roster move or assignment at guard. Until such information is provided, the available report does not support naming a player who will take his place.
That distinction matters when interpreting a roster announcement. A placement on injured reserve establishes that the player will miss at least the stated minimum, but it does not by itself tell readers which teammate will receive additional playing time or whether the team will add someone from outside the roster. Trade Rumors reported the transaction and the minimum absence without adding those details, leaving the Patriots’ specific plan unreported.
Patriots cut Riley Wilson from the practice squad
In a separate transaction, New England cut linebacker Riley Wilson from its practice squad. The report lists Wilson’s departure alongside Van Roten’s injured-reserve placement, but does not say that one move caused the other. It also does not describe Wilson’s role with the practice squad, explain why the Patriots released him, or provide further background on the linebacker.
Trade Rumors did not announce a corresponding signing or connect Wilson’s departure to Van Roten’s injured-reserve placement. The two roster updates should therefore be understood as separate reported moves rather than evidence of a specific exchange or replacement plan. The source offers no details about whether New England intended to fill Wilson’s practice-squad spot or make another change after the announcement.
In particular, the practice-squad transaction does not answer the question of how the Patriots will manage the offensive line during Van Roten’s absence. Wilson is identified as a linebacker, while Van Roten is an offensive lineman; the report does not suggest that Wilson’s release was related to the line. Keeping the moves distinct avoids reading a connection into announcements that the source presents without one.
Van Roten’s recent playing history
Trade Rumors reported that Van Roten appeared in all 17 games for the New York Giants in 2025 and started each game at guard. Those appearances and starts were with New York, not the Patriots. The information provides a recent snapshot of his playing history, but it should not be mistaken for a description of his role in New England or an account of his playing time with the Patriots.
The report’s brief career history traces Van Roten’s path through several teams. He originally signed with the Green Bay Packers as an undrafted free agent out of Pennsylvania in 2012. He was released after the preseason and later joined the Packers’ practice squad. Green Bay moved on from him in 2014, after which he had a brief stint with the Seattle Seahawks.
Van Roten signed with the Jacksonville Jaguars in February 2017, but the team released him after the draft. He then signed a one-year contract with the Carolina Panthers. As a restricted free agent, he signed a two-year extension with Carolina ahead of the 2018 season. That sequence in the report shows that his route through the league included practice-squad time, brief stays and a later extension, rather than a single uninterrupted stop with one team.
The New York Jets signed Van Roten to a three-year contract worth $10.5 million in 2020. The Jets released him in May 2022 after claiming guard Nate Herbig off waivers, and Van Roten subsequently joined the Buffalo Bills. The report then says the Las Vegas Raiders signed him for the 2023 season. After he became a free agent in 2024, he re-signed with the Raiders on a one-year deal, before joining the Giants on a one-year contract the following year.
His 2025 record with the Giants—17 appearances and 17 starts at guard—is the most recent season detail provided in the report. It establishes that he played a full regular-season slate and started throughout that year, but it does not provide additional statistics or describe his performance. Nor does it explain what role he held with the Patriots before the injured-reserve move. The present update remains focused on the roster transaction and the minimum period he must miss.
For now, the confirmed points are that New England placed Van Roten on injured reserve, he must miss at least four games before becoming eligible to return, and the source did not specify the injury or a return timetable beyond that threshold. The Patriots also cut Wilson from the practice squad, with no corresponding signing reported. Van Roten’s recent full season was with the Giants in 2025, where he started all 17 games at guard; that history is separate from the current Patriots roster update.
