Patriots

Patriots sign Jeremiah Pharms Jr. to 53-man roster, elevate Conor McDermott

Pharms was elevated from the practice squad three straight weeks in October.

By Colin McCarthy

November 4, 2023

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After weeks of practice squad elevations, the Patriots are committing a spot on their 53-man roster for defensive lineman Jeremiah Pharms Jr.

Pharms earned three straight elevations in Oct. and registered a tackle against the New Orleans Saints. He was formerly drafted to the USFL, and has been on New England’s practice squad since Sept. 4.

The Patriots made one other roster move on Saturday, promoting Conor McDermott from the practice squad. This is his second straight game being elevated since signing with New England on Oct. 17.

McDermott spent the offseason with the Patriots, but was placed on injured reserve before being released altogether. He has yet to take a snap for New England this season, but that could change on Sunday. Two offensive tackles, Trent Brown and Vederian Lowe, are questionable to play against the Washington Commanders. On top of that, tackle Calvin Anderson was recently placed on IR, making McDermott an even more valuable depth piece for the injury-riddled offensive line.

McDermott has plenty of NFL experience. He’s in his seventh season and has played in 49 games, 12 times as a starter. McDermott also has experience starting at both guard and tackle, so he can shore up most spots on the offensive line in a pinch.

Game time for Patriots-Commanders is set for 1 p.m. Eastern Time on Sunday.