Javon Baker active for Patriots vs. Jets; Josh Uche inactive amid trade rumors
FOXBORO -- There is a lot to take away from the New England Patriots' inactive list for Sunday's Week 8 clash against the New York Jets at Gillette Stadium.
Josh Uche is a healthy scratch, while Kyle Dugger won't be playing to go after giving it a try in warmups. Javon Baker reportedly had some trouble off the field last week in London, but is active for Sunday because the team is so shorthanded at wide receiver. And left tackle Vederian Lowe is back after missing last week's game, giving New England some continuity along the line.
Patriots inactive list for Week 8
DE Joshua Uche
S Kyle Dugger
DT Daniel Ekuale
QB Joe Milton III (emergency QB)
WR Ja'Lynn Polk
G Layden Robinson
Josh Uche a healthy scratch amid trade rumors
The most surprising name on the list is Uche, who is a healthy scratch while being mentioned in trade rumors ahead of the Nov. 5 deadline. This could be an indication that the Patriots are close to dealing Uche and want to keep him healthy before a trade is finalized.
Uche played just 11 defensive snaps last week in London, and has only two sacks and three QB hits on the season.
Kyle Dugger inactive
Dugger was removed from the injury report on Friday but added again on Saturday as he deals with the ankle injury he suffered back in Week 4 in San Francisco. He went through a workout on the field Sunday morning with trainers, but is inactive for Sunday's game.
The Patriots will now have to rely on Marte Mapu and Jaylinn Hawkins as their two safeties, with Dell Pettus, Isaiah Bolden, and Brenden Schooler rounding out their depth at the position.
Javon Baker and Tyquan Thornton both active for Patriots
With Ja'Lynn Polk out with a concussion, fellow rookie Javon Baker is active on Sunday for the first time since Week 2. Now we'll see if the fourth-round pick gets any offensive snaps against the Jets.
Head coach Jerod Mayo expressed confidence in Baker on Friday, but said that the rookie needs to get better on special teams.
"Not only is he going to be a good receiver, but he's also one of those guys that just loves football. He has to continue to improve in special teams as well. Look, there will be a time when he's on the field, and he'll be a good player for us," said Mayo.
Baker reportedly had some off-the-field issues during the team's trip in London, but he'll be in uniform Sunday.
Tyquan Thornton is also active after being a healthy scratch the last two weeks. The speedster has just two receptions this season, both of which came back in Week 1.
Vederian Lowe set to return at left tackle
With Vederian Lowe active, the Patriots are likely set to start the same offensive line they trotted out in Week 6 against the Texans: Lowe at left tackle, Michael Jordan at left guard, Ben Brown at center, Mike Onwenu at right guard, and Demontrey Jacobs at right tackle. So far this season, the Patriots have started seven different offensive line groupings.
Some continuity may help the New England run game get going, which in turn would give a big boost to rookie QB Drake Maye.
Tune in to Sunday's Patriots-Jets game on WBZ-TV -- the flagship station of the New England Patriots. After the game, switch over to Patriots 5th Quart on TV38 for full reaction and analysis.