New England Patriots activate wide receiver Mack Hollins
On Nov. 7, 2026, the New England Patriots activated wide receiver Mack Hollins from injured reserve onto the 53-man roster, the team announced Saturday. He is expected to suit up for the Week 9 game against the Green Bay Packers at Gillette Stadium. Kickoff is scheduled for 4:25 p.m. ET on Sunday.
Hollins returns after missing four games following a calf injury sustained in the second half of the Patriots’ Week 4 victory over the Buffalo Bills. The team placed him on injured reserve to prevent the issue from worsening while he recovered. He was cleared to return to the active roster this week.
Hollins fills an open spot onto the Patriots’ 53-man roster as the team manages multiple absences. The Patriots remain without wide receivers A.J. Brown (ankle/knee) and Romeo Doubs (shoulder, IR), running back TreVeyon Henderson (illness), and offensive guards Alijah Vera-Tucker (hamstring, IR) and Mike Onwenu (ankle, IR). The team did not activate offensive lineman Greg Van Roten (hamstring); it has until Nov. 25 to place him on the active roster. New England also did not elevate any players from the practice squad this week.
Through the first four weeks, Hollins led the Patriots with 15 receptions and 209 receiving yards, establishing himself as one of quarterback Drake Maye’s most reliable targets. The 6-foot-4 veteran also contributes as a run blocker and is noted for a large catch radius. Team analysis showed 18.8 percent of his targets came on dig routes, highlighting his ability to find voids in the intermediate middle of the field. That route profile helped make Maye comfortable throwing to Hollins downfield before the injury.
With Hollins active for Sunday, the Patriots list DeMario Douglas, Kyle Williams and Efton Chism III as the other available outside receivers. The team indicated Hollins may assume the primary X role while still contributing in the run game, which could allow Chism and Williams to rotate more often into the slot. Chism has played 152 snaps outside and 66 snaps inside this season, while Williams has run 89.2 percent of his routes from out wide and vertical routes 58 percent of the time.
New England is expected to start the same five offensive linemen who finished the game in Miami last week: left tackle Will Campbell, left guard Ben Brown, center Jared Wilson, right guard Matt Pryor and right tackle Morgan Moses. The team activated second-year tackle Marcus Bryant earlier this week to bolster depth at the position. The Patriots typically carry eight offensive linemen on game day, leaving decisions among swing tackle Caleb Lomu, Walter Rouse, rookie Dametrious Crownover and Bryant for remaining active spots.
With a full 53-man roster and two players officially ruled out, Brown and Henderson, the Patriots must declare three more inactives during pregame on Sunday. Rookie quarterback Behren Morton will serve as the emergency third quarterback on game day. Top tight end Hunter Henry (foot) missed the first two practices this week before returning in a limited capacity on Friday, and his availability remains a consideration for the team.
NFL Sports Blog Take
Mack Hollins’ activation restores outside-receiver depth for a Patriots offense that has been shorthanded. His early-season production and size give Drake Maye a dependable intermediate target, and his presence could allow DeMario Douglas, Kyle Williams and Efton Chism III to see more specialized alignments. Keeping Greg Van Roten on injured reserve leaves some uncertainty along the offensive line, but the activation of Marcus Bryant provides additional tackle depth for game-day decisions.