Kristian Wilkerson, Daniel Ekuale, D’Angelo Ross revert to Patriots’ practice squad following Week 16

The Patriots elevated three for Sunday’s Bills matchup at Gillette Stadium.

The New England Patriots near January with a practice squad of a dozen.

Wide receiver Kristian Wilkerson, defensive tackle Daniel Ekuale and cornerback D’Angelo Ross reverted following Sunday’s 33-21 loss to the Buffalo Bills at Gillette Stadium, per the NFL transaction wire.

Wilkerson, 24, saw three snaps on offense and six snaps on special teams as a Covid-19 replacement. The AFC East rematch marked the third career game for the 2020 undrafted arrival out of Southeast Missouri State, who spent his rookie preseason with the Tennessee Titans before signing to the scout team. Kendrick Bourne tested out of the league’s protocols on the eve of the 1 p.m. ET kickoff, but fellow Patriots wideout Nelson Agholor had been ruled out on the final injury report due to a concussion.

Ekuale, 27, served as a Covid-19 replacement after defensive lineman Deatrich Wise Jr. was moved to the reserve list on Saturday. A season-high 21 snaps to go with two tackles were recorded from there versus Buffalo. Ekuale stands with two sacks through five appearances with New England. Joining the practice squad at its formation in September, the Washington State product made previous stops with the Cleveland Browns and Jacksonville Jaguars after going undrafted in 2018.

Ross, 25, served as a standard elevation for his first NFL game beyond the preseason and stepped in for five snaps in the secondary. Cornerbacks Joejuan Williams and Shaun Wade were healthy scratches for the 53-man roster. Ross, a member of the 2019 Patriots undrafted class, had resided on injured reserve for the duration of his rookie year. The former New Mexico transfer was later an inactive call-up from the practice squad for last January’s finale against the New York Jets.

The 9-6 Patriots host the 2-13 Jaguars for a 1 p.m. ET kickoff in Foxborough next Sunday.