Patriots lose Mack Hollins, Reggie Gilliam to IR

Hollins wasn't the only move. New England changed a big chunk of the roster the day before kickoff, and Mike Reiss posted the full list.

Start with Hollins, because he's the one who hurts. Through 4 games he had 15 catches for 209 yards, which made him the team's leading receiver. Since A.J. Brown's high-ankle sprain in the opener, he's been Maye's go-to guy. He went down without contact running a route in the 3rd quarter of last week's win over Buffalo, and he'd already caught 3 balls for 53 yards when it happened. A calf injury at receiver isn't something you play through, and IR means he's gone for at least 4 games.

Gilliam is less of a passing-game loss and more of a body-count problem. The 29-year-old fullback is a blocker first. According to the team, he's been dealing with a knee issue since training camp and then hurt his ankle in Week 4. Put the 2 together and the Patriots couldn't wait any longer.

Adam Schefter

@AdamSchefter

A double whammy: the Patriots placed FB Reggie Gilliam and WR Mack Hollins on injured reserve.

The good news is mostly on special teams. Brenden Schooler is back on the 53 after missing camp and the first 4 weeks on the non-football injury list with a back injury. Kindle Vildor, who played 8 defensive snaps on an elevation last week, got a real roster spot at a thin cornerback position. K.J. Britt and Elliott Davison come up from the practice squad mostly to cover kicks.

The bigger picture is ugly. Hollins and Gilliam are No. 18 and No. 19 on the Patriots' 2026 injured reserve list, and it's only October. Brown is on there. So are Mike Onwenu and Greg Van Roten. A lot of that list is guys Maye would be throwing to or hiding behind.

So what does the receiver room look like Sunday? Efton Chism III, who caught the game-winning touchdown against the Bills after Hollins left, steps in as the No. 3 receiver behind Romeo Doubs and DeMario Douglas, with Kyle Williams also in the mix. That's a group that can get open, but none of them has been Maye's security blanket the way Hollins has.

The good news is that it shouldn't last long. Brown can come back in Week 6 and has reportedly been ramping up in the locker room this week. If he makes it back, the Hollins injury is a couple weeks of patching things together. For Sunday at 1 p.m. ET at Gillette, though, it's Chism's chance to show the Bills game wasn't a fluke.