With their trip to Minnesota in the rear-view mirror, the New England Patriots returned to work on Monday for their 17th practice of training camp. Even before the action was kicked off, EVP of player personnel Eliot Wolf announced a change to the roster: defensive tackle Isaiah Iton was headed to injured reserve with wide receiver Phil Lutz set to take his spot on the roster.
Here is what the move means for the team from a big-picture perspective.
DT Isaiah Iton: Waived with injury designation
Promise unfulfilled: Before he went down with a hip injury against the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday, Iton was considered a dark horse candidate to earn a spot on the practice squad or even the 53-man roster. He had steadily increased the quality of his reps over the summer, and had some promising moments especially versus the run. However, he will have nothing to show for it: now off to injured reserve, his season is effectively over.
Another player down: Even though he will have to pass through the waiver wire, the expectation is that Iton will end up going unclaimed and subsequently placed to injured reserve. This means that the total number of players on the Patriots’ IR is set to increase to seven:
RB Lan Larison
RB Deneric Prince
FB Brock Lampe
OT Yasir Durant
DT Jaquelin Roy
DT Isaiah Iton*
CB Marcellas Dial Jr.
Out of those seven players, a handful had a realistic shot at making the roster. Brock Lampe was the team’s top fullback before going down, while Lan Larison looked like the frontrunner for the RB4 spot behind Rhamondre Stevenson, TreVeyon Henderson and Antonio Gibson. Marcellas Dial Jr., meanwhile, was vying for a depth spot at cornerback as well as a core special teams role.
Minor cap impact: Once he joins New England’s IR, Iton will go from having a net zero impact on the Patriots’ roster to costing $490,000. Previously not counted due to his base salary falling outside the Top 51 list, his trip to injured reserve means that he will now hit the Patriots’ books albeit not at the full cost: his contract included a split salary provision, reducing it from originally $840,000 to those $490,000.
In total, the team has now invested $3.58 million in its seven players currently on IR.
WR Phil Lutz: Signed to 90-man roster
Action/reaction: The Patriots could have signed another defensive tackle to replace Iton on the roster, but the situation at that particular spot is still manageable: New England has eight total DTs on the roster, including roster locks Christian Barmore, Milton Williams, Khyiris Tonga and Joshua Farmer. Having four extra depth options means that the team is not at risk of running out of interior linemen anytime soon.
The wide receiver position, meanwhile, is in a different state. Ja’Lynn Polk, Kyle Williams and Efton Chism are all dealing with injuries at the moment, putting their availability for this week’s preseason finale against the New York Giants in doubt. Adding Lutz to the mix gives New England another option to use should those three not be cleared in time, or any other injuries happen.
Workable traits: A rookie free agent earlier this year, Lutz is a long shot to make the Patriots’ roster and far from a safe bet for the practice squad as well. However, that does not mean he has no NFL-caliber traits. A look at his pre-draft testing numbers illustrates this:
Lutz’s quickness is his biggest strength, and it allowed him to finish his college career with a 45-catch, 863-yard, 11-touchdown campaign at Delaware. Primarily a perimeter target in 2024, he also saw some opportunities elsewhere on the field: the Blue Hens moved him into the slot on occasion, and even had him line up at fullback for a handful of snaps.
No cap impact: Even though it took him almost four months to sign his first NFL contract, Lutz received a standard UDFA deal from the Patriots. This means he will play on a non-guaranteed $840,000 salary this season that is currently not high enough to qualify for Top 51 status. Accordingly, replacing Iton with Lutz does not change New England’s salary cap number outside of the former hitting the books due to his IR status.
Of course, there is a chance that Lutz’s compensation will become relevant for cap purposes at a later point in time. If he makes the 53-man roster or practice squad — neither seems particularly likely — the compensation he will get from the team from then on will be counted toward New England’s cap.
How about training camp, though? As a first-year player, Lutz is entitled to a per diem payment of $2,000 per week during camp.