Patriots elevate two DBs from practice squad for Week 4 vs. Bills

After a lengthy injury report Friday that featured two key inactives on defense and seven others listed as questionable for Sunday, the Patriots made a pair of practice squad elevations Saturday.

Safety Mike Brown and corner back Kindle Vildor will both be available for Sunday’s matchup against the Buffalo Bills. Brown was activated in Week 3, but if Vildor suits up, it’ll be the 29-year-old’s Patriots debut.

Brown was an integral special teams asset in the Week 3 loss to the Jaguars. He appeared on all four of the special teams units and will likely figure heavily into that phase again on Sunday.

Vildor is a six-year NFL veteran and has previous experience as a starter, playing in 80 total games and starting 27 of them. With Christian Gonzalez and Channing Canada already ruled out and Craig Woodson listed as questionable, the reinforcements at the defensive back position will likely be necessary.

Former NFL MVP Josh Allen has been the best quarterback in football through three weeks, and will present by far the Patriots defense’s biggest challenge yet. Carlton Davis and Marcus Jones will have their hands full with Buffalo’s deceptively solid receiving corps, and Josh Allen and James Cook have combined to wreak havoc on opposing front sevens.

In that sense, New England is especially weak, being without standout interior lineman Christian Barmore. But the Patriots aren’t requiring additional reinforcements at that position, leaning more on their secondary depth for this week’s practice squad elevations.

New England is 1-2, but used last season’s Week 5 matchup against the Bills as a true turning point of the year. Could history repeat itself?

Patriots-Bills is set for 1 p.m. at the new Highmark Stadium in Buffalo on Sunday.