Patriots place Ronnie Perkins on season-ending injured reserve
BOSTON -- As a rookie in 2021, Ronnie Perkins did not play at all for the Patriots. He won't be playing in year two, either.
The outside linebacker was placed on injured reserve on Tuesday, ending his 2022 season. The Patriots also placed offensive lineman Andrew Steuber on the reserve/non-football injury list in order to trim the active roster to 80 at the 4 p.m. deadline.
Perkins was the team's third pick last year, after Mac Jones (15th overall) and Christian Barmore (38th overall). Taken in the third round at No. 96 overall, Perkins had recorded 5.5 sacks in six games played in 2020, his final season at Oklahoma. In his collegiate career, he had 16.5 sacks and 98 total tackles in 61 games played as a defensive end for the Sooners.
Perkins was expected to have some potential to help the Patriots' pass rush but was inactive for the first 13 games of the season before being placed on injured reserve in Week 15. He saw some action in the preseason this summer, recording six total tackles and registering a sack in the final minutes of the win against the Panthers.
Steuber was drafted by the Patriots in the seventh round of this year's draft out of Michigan.