The New England Patriots announced Sunday that they placed Jeremiah Webb on injured reserve while signing second-round linebacker Gabe Jacas.
Webb changed the 2024 Salute to Veterans Bowl in the space of two possessions.
South Alabama trailed Western Michigan 10-0 when Webb caught a 52-yard touchdown pass to open the Jaguars’ scoring. He followed with a 48-yard score on the next drive, giving South Alabama a lead it never surrendered in a 30-23 victory.
Webb finished with six catches for 182 yards and two touchdowns, earning game MVP honors.
His receiving total established both a Salute to Veterans Bowl record and a South Alabama bowl-game record, while his 200 all-purpose yards set another program bowl mark.
Less than two years later, the Patriots have ended his bid for a place on their 2026 active roster.
The team didn’t identify Webb’s injury or provide a timetable, but the transaction removes him from the active training camp roster and prevents him from continuing a crowded competition at wide receiver.
Webb’s Bowl Breakout Made Him a Patriots Project
The bowl performance closed Webb’s college career with the type of production that had surfaced only in flashes before his final season.
Webb caught 36 passes for 649 yards and five touchdowns in 2024.
He finished his college career with 51 receptions for 955 yards and seven scores across stints at South Dakota and South Alabama, per his official Patriots biography.
His career had another improbable finish.
In 2021, Webb caught a 57-yard Hail Mary with one second remaining to give South Dakota a 23-20 victory over fourth-ranked South Dakota State. The play was later selected as Sports Illustrated’s Play of the Year.
New England signed Webb as an undrafted free agent in May 2025.
He made six catches for 80 yards and a touchdown during the preseason and added a 59-yard kickoff return, showing enough speed and special-teams value to remain with the organization after final cuts.
The Patriots released him on Aug. 26, then brought him back to the practice squad one day later.
He spent the regular season developing behind the active roster and received his first elevation before New England’s wild-card game against the Los Angeles Chargers, though he was inactive.
A futures contract in February brought Webb back for another summer.
Webb’s Injury Tightens Crowded Patriots Receiver Battle
New England entered camp with far more certainty at the top of the position than it carried one year earlier.
The Patriots added A.J. Brown and Romeo Doubs during an aggressive offseason, topping a group that also includes Kayshon Boutte, Mack Hollins, DeMario Douglas, Kyle Williams and Efton Chism III.
The team’s official position preview acknowledged that the room was crowded enough to leave Webb and four undrafted rookies with long odds.
New England placed rookie Jimmy Kibble on injured reserve Friday, then claimed Kobe Prentice off waivers from the Carolina Panthers on Saturday.
Webb became the second receiver moved to injured reserve in three days.
His departure leaves the Patriots with 11 active receivers, maintaining competition for what will likely become five or six regular-season spots.
Webb’s bowl records and two memorable college finishes helped earn him more than a year in New England’s program.
An injury interrupted the next step before the preseason could offer him another showcase.
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