The Patriots are making a number of roster moves ahead of their matchup against the Patriots. Chargers

The New England Patriots had to make room on their 53-man roster Friday when they activated offensive tackle Caedance Wallace from injured reserve.

They did so by placing cornerback Marcus Jones on injured reserve after the dynamic playmaker was ruled out for the Patriots’ game against the Los Angeles Chargers on Saturday with a hip injury.

Wallace played in the first four games of the season for New England before being placed on injured reserve due to an ankle injury suffered on October 4 against the San Francisco 49ers.

The Patriots then brought wide receiver Alex Erickson and linebacker Monty Rice from the practice squad to the active roster for the second consecutive year.

After signing with New England on December 18, Erickson had a no-gain punt return in the Patriots’ loss to the Buffalo Bills in Week 16. Most recently, Erickson was with the Chargers, who had him on their practice squad for most of the 2023 season. Prior to his time with the Bolts, the Wisconsin player spent time with the Cincinnati Bengals, Houston Texans, Carolina Panthers, Washington Commanders and the New York Jets. Erickson currently has 112 receptions for 232 yards and two touchdowns in his NFL career.

Rice is also expected to play a role in the third phase, which has been required in every defensive move for New England this season. It’s only been a few weeks since the 2021 third-round pick joined the practice squad, but he has experience playing defense if needed.

The Patriots and Chargers will kick off at Gillette Stadium on Saturday at 1 p.m. ET.