Patriots' Brenden Schooler: Cleared to make 2026 debut Sunday
Rotowire
The Patriots activated Schooler (back) from injured reserve Saturday, and he does not carry an injury designation ahead of Sunday's game against the Raiders.
Schooler has been cleared to make his regular-season debut Sunday after missing the Patriots' first four games while recovering from a back injury. He should see most of his playing time on special teams, though he could also see some snaps on defense given the Patriots' injuries in the secondary.
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Patriots' Brenden Schooler: Practice window opened
Rotowire
The Patriots opened the 21-day practice window for Schooler (back) on Wednesday.
Schooler can now return to practice but won't be eligible to appear in a game until Week 5 due to being on the reserve/non-football injury list. Once officially activated, the 29-year-old should contribute as a depth defender.
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Patriots' Brenden Schooler: Starts season on non-football injury list
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Schooler (undisclosed) will begin the 2026 regular season on the Patriots' reserve/non-football injury list, Doug Kyed of the Boston Herald reports.
It was reported last Thursday that Schooler was close to being activated off the NFI list prior to cutdown day. The free safety is evidently not quite ready to rejoin the team and will now need to miss at least the first four weeks of the regular season. Kevin Byard is set to open the Week 1 game against the Seahawks as the starting free safety for the Patriots.
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Patriots' Brenden Schooler: Should be activated soon
Rotowire
Schooler (undisclosed) could be activated off the active/non-football injury list before Sunday's cutdown day, Mark Daniels of MassLive.com reports.
Schooler was placed on the non-football injury list in late July and has not yet participated in team activities. If the free safety is not ready to be activated by Sunday, he will be required to miss at least the first four games of the regular season on injured reserve.
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Patriots' Brenden Schooler: Full participant in practice
Rotowire
Schooler (ankle) was a full participant in New England's practice Wednesday.
Schooler returned to practice for the first time since sustaining an ankle injury in the Week 12 win over the Bengals. Now healthy, the 28-year-old should continue to contribute on special teams during Sunday's matchup against Buffalo.
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Patriots' Brenden Schooler: Sidelined for rest of Week 12
Rotowire
Schooler (ankle) has been ruled out for the remainder of Sunday's clash against Cincinnati, Evan Lazar of the Patriots' official site reports.
Schooler was injured in the first half and was ruled out early in the third quarter. He's played almost exclusively on special teams this season, so his absence will be mainly felt within that unit.
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Patriots' Brenden Schooler: Questionable to return Week 12
Rotowire
Schooler is dealing with an ankle injury and is questionable to return to Sunday's matchup versus the Bengals.
The Patriots announced early in the second quarter that Schooler is questionable to return. If he's unable to get back on the field, his absence would mostly affect New England's special-teams unit, as Schooler has logged just three defensive snaps through 11 contests this season.
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Patriots' Brenden Schooler: Available Sunday
Rotowire
Schooler (illness) is active for Sunday's Week 8 matchup against the Jets.
An illness landed Schooler on the injury report with a questionable tag Saturday, but he's been able to recover well enough to take the field one day later. Schooler typically plays almost exclusively on special teams, but there's a chance he could see some work on defense Sunday with felow safety Kyle Dugger (ankle) sitting out.
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Patriots' Brenden Schooler: Late addition to injury report
Rotowire
Schooler was added to the Patriots' injury report Saturday due to an illness and is questionable to play in Sunday's Week 8 game against the Jets.
Schooler has yet to play a defensive snap this season, but he's a core special-teamer for New England, so his absence would impact the team in that regard. The Texas product has logged six tackles on the campaign.
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Patriots' Brenden Schooler: Participates at OTAs
Rotowire
Schooler was taking part in kickoff coverage drills during the Patriots' final OTA session Friday, Taylor Kyles of CLNS Media reports.
Schooler, who played exclusively on special teams last season, missed the final game of the 2022 season with a hip injury. He appears to be past that injury, as he was seen practicing with other Patriots special teamers, namely Matthew Slater and Mack Wilson.
