In the 2020 NFL Draft, the Philadelphia Eagles selected WR Jalen Reagor 21st overall. He struggled in his two seasons with the Eagles and wasn’t much of a factor last year with Minnesota. The 24-year-old got a fresh start in 2023 with the New England Patriots. 

Reagor had been with the practice squad for most of the season but has appeared in two games. He played in Week 2 vs. the Dolphins and then last week vs. the Bills. By league rule, New England can no longer continue to just elevate Reagor on game day. With that, he was signed to their 53-man roster for the rest of the season. He’s being rewarded for the effort he’s given New England so far.

Jalen Reagor will play his first game this weekend as a full-time member of the Patriots’ active roster

The #Patriots are signing WR Jalen Reagor to the 53-man roster, source said. The former first-rounder has impressed behind the scenes in New England, earning praise from Bill Belichick. He played his most snaps of the season on Sunday.

— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) October 26, 2023

Last week, Jalen Reagor played the most snaps he has all season for the Patriots. He was on the field for 25 snaps and caught his only target of the day for 11 yards.  The fourth-year WR has been grinding for New England and he was finally rewarded for those efforts. Reagor was signed to the Patriots’ 53-man roster for the remainder of the 2023 season.

With his signing, Reagor will replace Malik Cunningham on their active roster. However, the rookie QB was signed back to the practice squad. In his previous three seasons in the NFL, Jalen Reagor had a lot of criticism for his lack of production. Arguably the biggest storyline coming out of the draft was that 2022 AP Offensive Player of the Year Justin Jefferson was taken one pick after Reagor was selected. He failed to live up to his expectations of being a first-round WR. However, he’s gotten a fresh start in New England and will look to capitalize on this opportunity for the rest of 2023.

Jalen Reagor’s first catch as a Patriot pic.twitter.com/BhI36X5uQJ

— Video from: @TSV__1 (@TSV__1) October 22, 2023

Head coach Bill Belichick said that Reagor had been playing well on the scout team for New England. That’s a reason why the Patriots wanted to add him to the 53-man roster. Additionally, Mac Jones said that Reagor is picking up what they are trying to do on offense. He could become a featured piece for the Patriots by the end of the season. There’s a lot of potential for him to play well now that he doesn’t have the spotlight on him.