The Eagles became the first team to let a player’s IR activation window close this season, leaving safety Justin Evans on IR; the Patriots will be the second. New England will not activate Riley Reiff for a second time, with Bill Belichick indicating the tackle’s three-week activation window will close.
Reiff signed a one-year, $5MM deal with the Patriots in March, representing a low-cost solution attempt for the team at right tackle. But the former first-round pick could not stay healthy. The Pats placed Reiff on IR before Week 1, and his return consisted of just one game. Back on IR soon after, Reiff returned to practice on Nov. 15. Wednesday’s transaction will end the longtime starter’s season after 45 snaps.
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Belichick said (via ESPN.com’s Mike Reiss) three Reiff setbacks will lead the team to keep him on IR rather than use another activation. New England activated Reiff in Week 5, when he was first eligible, after a leg injury had sidelined him. Reiff, 35, sustained a knee injury — one Belichick classified as different from the ailment that shelved the 12th-year vet in August — upon attempting to come back.
This marks familiar territory for Reiff, whose RT run with the Bengals ended because of a late-season injury, but the former Lions first-rounder has largely avoided steady injury trouble. Reiff came into this season having never missed more than five games in one campaign; other than 2021, he had never missed more than three in a season. His injury-prone run with the Pats has represented one of the team’s many problems in a season that has been bad enough to remind of the franchise’s pre-Bill Parcells days.
Although the Patriots still carry five IR activations, matters pertaining to the 2023 team’s status are almost immaterial at this point. New England has dropped to 2-10 this year. Belichick’s Foxborough future is up in the air, and the team will look to the 2024 draft and free agency to reboot its quarterback position.
Brought in to take over for Isaiah Wynn at right tackle, Reiff came to Massachusetts with 149 career starts under his belt. The ex-Lions, Vikings, Bengals and Bears blocker had spent most of his career at left tackle; though, the 2020s brought a switch. Reiff also spent time at guard in New England and did not start the one game he played. The Pats have used multiple cogs on the right side, most notably Michael Onwenu — a guard the team kicked back to the edge during the season. Onwenu is a 2024 free agent.
Another great addition by the General Manager. Wasted five million dollars for what?