Examining the roster ties between Patriots, Chargers ahead of Week 13

The past Patriots and past Chargers in the fold for Sunday at Gillette Stadium.

For a group of New England Patriots veterans, the Los Angeles Chargers are far from strangers.

Between the active roster and practice squad, five players currently in Foxborough made previous NFL stops in Los Angeles. Some of whom made previous stops in San Diego, too.

Here’s a glance through those past and present connections ahead of Sunday’s 1 p.m. ET kickoff at Gillette Stadium.

LOS ANGELES

Stephen Anderson, tight end — The Chargers added Anderson to the practice squad midway through November. It marked a return for the 30-year-old tight end, who had appeared in 37 games for the organization from 2019 through 2021. He caught 24 passes for 271 yards and one touchdown over that span of 484 snaps on offense and 542 snaps on special teams. Prior to Los Angeles, Anderson earned a Super Bowl LIII ring with the Patriots. The former Cal walk-on wide receiver resided on New England’s practice squad from September into January of the 2018 campaign. A playoff promotion to the 53-man roster followed before he was retained on the scout team the subsequent Labor Day weekend. Anderson originally entered the NFL as part of the Houston Texans’ 2016 undrafted class. His career has featured 78 appearances, including a dozen starts, along with 63 receptions for 715 yards and a trio of scores.

NEW ENGLAND

Hunter Henry, tight end — The Chargers turned to Henry with the No. 35 overall pick in the 2016 NFL draft. The John Mackey Award winner via Arkansas went on to garner All-Rookie honors from the Pro Football Writers of America. He finished his tenure with 196 catches for 2,322 yards and 22 touchdowns over 49 starts and 55 games. After playing on the franchise tag as a team captain for Los Angeles, Henry agreed to terms with the Patriots on a three-year, $37.5 million contract as the calendar turned to March 2021. Since then, the 28-year-old tight end has tallied 121 catches for 1,410 yards and 14 touchdowns through 45 games, starting 32. He was voted a New England captain for the first time in 2023.

Matt Sokol, tight end — Sokol, who stands in his second season on New England’s practice squad after being claimed off waivers, served as a three-time elevation in 2022. He did so after two tours apiece with three different organizations. And in that order. The 28-year-old out of Michigan State signed with the Chargers as an undrafted free agent in 2019 and began his rookie year on the practice squad. To the Jacksonville Jaguars and Detroit Lions he went from there before circling back in the fall of 2020. Sokol’s first pair of NFL appearances arrived soon after with Los Angeles. They included 15 snaps on offense and 20 snaps on special teams. Departing at the league’s 53-man deadline in 2021, the blocking tight end then traveled back to Jacksonville and Detroit.

Lawrence Guy, defensive tackle — A member of the Patriots’ latest All-Decade team, Guy had stints with four teams upon getting the call in the seventh round back in 2011. The defensive tackle out of Arizona State set out as the last pick in that spring’s Green Bay Packers draft class. He spent his rookie year on injured reserve and departed from the practice squad for a spot on the Indianapolis Colts’ 53-man roster in 2012. By 2013, Guy found himself in San Diego. The waiver claim played in 13 games to record 16 tackles and three batted passes as a Charger before landing back on the wire in 2014. A rotational role with Baltimore Ravens followed. It concluded as Guy landed a four-year pact that would be re-upped through 2024. The 33-year-old’s New England tenure includes 100 starts in the regular season. It also includes 363 tackles, 10.5 sacks, four fumble recoveries, one forced fumble, an interception and a Super Bowl LIII ring. Guy was the franchise’s 2021 recipient of the Ron Burton Community Service Award and 2022 nominee for the Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year Award.

J.C. Jackson, cornerback — The five-year, $82.5 million pact that Jackson signed with the Chargers ended in October. It ended after seven starts, one interception, a ruptured patellar tendon and consecutive weeks without a down played. The Patriots reacquired the 28-year-old in a swap of 2025 selections in the sixth and seventh rounds. Jackson’s first stint in Foxborough began as a member of the 2018 undrafted class. The cornerback by way of Florida, Riverside City College and Maryland intercepted 25 passes through his initial four seasons, tying for the NFL record. He made 62 appearances. The Super Bowl LIII champion played on the second-round restricted tender in 2021. Starting every game that year, Jackson turned eight picks into 92 yards and his first career touchdown while leading league with 23 passes defended. Pro Bowl and second-team All-Pro recognition followed. Now in jersey No. 29, Jackson has started four of his six games since reuniting with New England, staying home during the November trip to Frankfurt, Germany.

Adrian Phillips, safety — The 2014 undrafted free agent out of Texas was part of the cutdown deadline as a San Diego rookie. Clearing waivers before joining the practice squad, that regular season saw Phillips let go and brought back in September, October, November and December. In between came the first three appearances as well as the first tackle of his career. Phillips went on to earn Pro Bowl and All-Pro honors on special teams during his gradual rise with the Chargers. He is now 125 games and 535 tackles into his NFL run. The 31-year-old Phillips started 24 games during his time with his first organization. He has started 38 with the Patriots since signing in 2020, accounting for one forced fumble, six interceptions as well as one sack and one touchdown. A contract extension through 2024 arrived along the way for an NFL veteran approaching 5,000 snaps in the secondary and 2,000 snaps in the kicking game.