Pettus' injury only adds to the long list of injured Patriots players.
For at least four games, the New England Patriots will be without safety Dell Pettus, as the team announced Wednesday that they have placed him on injured reserve.
Head coach Mike Vrabel announced this news in his press conference on Wednesday. In addition, the Patriots upgraded edge rusher Jose Ramirez to the 53-man roster to go along with the move.
Vrabel also commented on some other injuries around the team in the press conference, stating that edge rusher Dre'Mont Jones "won't do much today," and Quintayvious Hutchins won't do much at Wednesday's practice
Pettus' name was added to the list of injuries that currently plague the Patriots after he suffered what looked like an ankle injury on a special teams play in the second quarter during the team's 20-3 win over the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday.
For some of the game, Pettus was labeled as questionable but then would be downgraded to being out for good by the time it had reached the fourth quarter.
With Pettus on IR, the Patriots hosted two free-agent defensive backs for a workout as things have thinned out in that region of the roster. The Patriots are currently without Carlton Davis III, and fellow safety Craig Woodson suffered an injury that kept him out all game on Sunday, along with the third-year rotational safety.
Pettus arrived in New England in 2024 as an undrafted free agent. He made the roster that offseason and hasn't been downgraded ever since. Appearing in all 36 games as a New England Patriot and starting in a pair of games. He has 471 snaps on defense and 579 snaps on special teams in his NFL career. In 2025 alone, he had 320 snaps, leading the Patriots' special teams units that year.
Jose Ramirez has now earned a spot on the active roster after being added to the 17-man practice squad. He spent 2025 in the CFL's Hamilton Tiger-Cats. Ramirez then signed a futures contract with the Philadelphia Eagles in January but was waived at the end of training camp.
"Been a really good practice player for us," Vrabel spoke to the media about Ramriez. "I think he's improved since the time he's been here, multiple times being recognized. He's taken the reps that we talk about being on the show team and using those to his advantage. So, whether they'll be an opportunity, we'll see, for him to be able to help us this week when we get down to the 48-man roster."
As for Pettus, he will remain out for the next four weeks as we now shift to what the health and wellness of Woodson will be before the Patriots head to the Sunshine State to take on the Jacksonville Jaguars.
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