Xavier Newman-Johnson and Benton Whitley officially reverted to the New England Patriots’ practice squad on Friday after serving as standard elevations against the Chicago Bears.
The 30-24 loss at Soldier Field marked the first appearances of 2026 for the offensive lineman as well as the outside linebacker.
Newman-Johnson, 27, made his Thursday night debut in protection on three extra points and one field goal. The 6-foot-2, 297-pound interior lineman provided depth behind a starting five that was missing right guard Ben Brown due to a knee injury and also lost left guard Alijah Vera-Tucker to injured reserve prior to the 8:15 p.m. ET kickoff due to a hamstring injury.
Added to New England’s practice squad in September after being hosted on a visit, Newman-Johnson now stands 26 games into his NFL career. First entering the league with head coach Mike Vrabel’s former Tennessee Titans as an undrafted free agent in 2022, the Baylor product spent parts of two seasons in the AFC South. He went on to reside on the New York Jets’ practice squad, 53-man roster and injured reserve before being released and landing in Foxborough. A five-game starter, his odometer includes 338 downs on offense and 72 downs in the kicking game.
Whitley, 27, handled 13 snaps on special teams during the Midwest road trip between kickoff coverage, kickoff return and punt return. That marked 46 percent of the workload in the transitional phase. The well-traveled edge rusher signed to the Patriots’ practice squad in September.
A Massachusetts native and Holy Cross alum, Whitley originally entered the NFL with the Los Angeles Rams as part of the organization’s undrafted class of 2022. He went on to make stops with the Kansas City Chiefs, Minnesota Vikings, New York Giants, Arizona Cardinals and Tampa Bay Buccaneers through 2025. And his most recent training camp was spent with the Cleveland Browns before being waived at the league’s cutdown deadline at the end of August. Seven games into his career, the 6-foot-4, 255-pound linebacker has recorded one fumble recovery and one pass defensed through 16 snaps on defense and 87 snaps on special teams.
Both call-ups have two standard elevations remaining before 53-man contracts would be required to take the field.
Heading into the mini bye at 4-3, the Patriots currently carry a full practice squad and an opening on the active roster.