FOXBOROUGH, Mass. – As the New England Patriots begin to turn their attention toward their Week 18 matchup against the Miami Dolphins at Gillette Stadium, they are already making some adjustments to their 53-man roster.

The Pats have announced that they have released cornerback Miles Battle and offensive lineman Brenden Jaimes from their active roster. Both players are expected to be candidates to return via the practice squad, should they clear waivers.

New England’s roster moves appear to be precursors to the respective returns of at least two starters from injured reserve. With Battle having provided notable depth at cornerback, the Pats may be preparing to activate veteran Alex Austin, who has been on IR since Nov. 25 with an undisclosed injury. Conversely, Jaimes’ release could indicate that starting left tackle Will Campbell is headed back into action after an MCL sprain forced him to miss each of New England’s four previous games.

Of course, defensive tackle Milton Williams remains the wild card in this scenario. Williams, who had been on injured-reserve since mid-November due to an ankle injury, was not activated prior to the Pats’ Week 17 matchup with the New York Jets at MetLifeStadium. Per NFL regulations, Williams had been out for the four games prior to Week 17 and was eligible to return for the Jets’ game. The Patriots had opened his 21-day return window last week and was a limited participant throughout the team’s practice sessions.

Battle, Jaimes Provided Interim Depth, Solid Contributions to Patriots

Battle originally entered the NFL as a rookie free agent with the Kansas City Chiefs in May 2024, out of Utah. The 6-foot-3, 197-pounder was released by Kansas City after training camp and was signed by New England to the practice squad on Oct. 15. He was signed to the Pats’ 53-man roster from the practice squad on Jan. 4. He played in his first NFL game in the season-finale vs. Buffalo (1/5), finishing with two tackles and three passes defensed. Battle was released by New England at the end of training camp this past summer and was then signed to the practice squad.

The 25-year-old was elevated to the active roster for the Patriots’ Week 7 game against the Tennessee Titans on Oct. 19 and saw action on special teams. He was signed to the 53-man roster on Nov. 26. Battle played in five games and accumulated three total tackles.

Jaimes was signed by New England to the practice squad on Sept. 1. He was elevated for the games vs. the Carolina Panthers (9/28) and vs. the New York Giants (12/1) and saw action on special teams. The 6-foot-5, 300-pounder was signed to the 53-man roster on Dec. 23.

A five-year veteran, Jaimes originally entered the NFL as a fifth-round draft pick by the Los Angeles Chargers in the 2021 NFL Draft out of Nebraska. The 26-year-old was signed by the Tennessee Titans as an unrestricted free agent on April 17 and was released on Aug. 26. Overall, he has played in 48 regular season games with three starts at center in 2023 and saw action in two postseason games.