— one of five Patriots to share this designation. But while the other four made the trip to New York with the rest of the team, the 29-year-old did not and will sit out the contest.With Burkhead unavailable, the Patrio

Patriots quarterback Tom Brady reportedly wasn’t a fan of the decision to release receiver Antonio Brown. On Wednesday Jarrett Stidham NFL Jersey , Brady admitted that he regrets the departure of tight end Ben Watson.“You know, pretty tough,” Brady told repoters regarding the news that the team declined to add Watson to the roster at the conclusion of his exemption. “Pretty tough. I mean, it’s tough for a lot of guys. I’ve played with a lot of guys over the years. You know, Ben’s a great player. He’s been a great player for this team, for other teams, he’s had an incredible career and hopefully he can keep playing. I know he was looking forward to playing. I miss him. He was right next to me, and for as great as a player he was Jarrett Stidham NFL Draft , he was 10 times a better person, just the highest integrity. I can’t say enough good things about Ben, what he’s meant to me, my family, our team. So we’re going to miss him.”Coach Bill Belichick explained that the team simply didn’t have a spot for Watson, who was suspended the first four games of the regular season for violating the PED policy during his short-lived retirement.So is Brady more comfortable with the two tight ends on the roster, Ryan Izzo and Matt LaCosse, handling the position?“I’m the quarterback Jarrett Stidham Buffalo Bills Jersey , so I don’t make those decisions,” Brady said. “Whoever’s out there, that’s who I’ve got to play with.”That response could be interpreted in various ways, especially by Izzo and LaCosse. It also invites speculation that, in time, Brady may indeed make a personal plea to Rob Gronkowski to return from retirement. As PFT reported in July, that would be a major factor in Gronk’s consideration regarding a potential return. When the New England Patriots released their final injury report of the week on Saturday, they already ruled three players out to suit up against the New York Jets: wide receiver Josh Gordon (knee/ankle) and tight ends Matt LaCosse (knee) and Ryan Izzo (concussion) will not play on Monday night. Add defensive end Michael Bennett Color Rush Byron Cowart Jersey , who has been suspended for one week by the team, and you already get a long list of inactives.On Sunday, the list grew even further: running back Rex Burkhead has officially been downgraded to ‘out’ for the game. Burkhead, who already missed New England’s last two games because of a foot injury, was originally listed as ‘questionable’ on Saturday’s injury report — one of five Patriots to share this designation. But while the other four made the trip to New York with the rest of the team, the 29-year-old did not and will sit out the contest.With Burkhead unavailable, the Patriots will again head into game day with four healthy running backs: Sony Michel will serve as the early down back, James White as the top receiving back option Youth Byron Cowart Jersey , and Brandon Bolden as the de facto replacement for Burkhead. Third-round rookie Damien Harris, meanwhile, is not expected to play a major role even if the team decides to carry him on its 46-man game day roster.The four players mentioned above who are listed as ‘questionable’ will be game time decisions, in the meantime: wide receivers Julian Edelman (chest), Phillip Dorsett (hamstring) and Gunner Olszewski (hamstring), as well as starting strong safety Patrick Chung (heel/chest). All in all, the Patriots will need to downgrade two more players until 90 minutes before Monday’s kickoff.