Patriots Activate Star Linemen Ahead of Regular-Season Finale

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. — As the New England Patriots make their final preparations for a Week 18 showdown with the Miami Dolphins at Gillette Stadium, they are also welcoming a pair of prominent linemen back to the active roster.

The Pats have officially confirmed that rookie left tackle Will Campbell and veteran defensive tackle Milton Williams have been active to the 53-man roster from injured reserve. Campbell has been sidelined since suffering an MCL sprain in Week 12, while Williams had been dealing with ankle injury since Week 11.

The returns of both Campbell and Williams were anticipated, as neither player was listed on the final injury and practice participation of Week 18. Additionally, Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel hinted that such moves were likely to be coming on the eve of their regular-season finale.

“We'll see how they respond from today's work,” Vrabel said on Jan. 2. “We tried to get them a full week of work in, but I think it looks good. Both of them were able to work the whole week and we'll see where we're at .

Campbell was present and began practicing this week, thus triggering his 21-day window to return from injured reserve. The LSU product was placed on IR after suffering his aforementioned MCL sprain during the Patriots 26-20 Week 12 victory over the Cincinnati Bengals at Paycor Stadium.

Throughout his 12 games played this season, the fourth overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft has had his share of ups and downs. At times, Campbell has looked quite proficient in both pass protection and run blocking. However, he has also seen his share of difficulty when attempting to resist edge pressure. Still, the former LSU Tiger has demonstrated a willingness to turn each success or setback into a valuable lesson. The rookie entered his injury period having allowed only five sacks and four total pressures on quarterback Drake Maye.

Will Campbell, Milton Williams Can Help the Patriots Before their Playoff Run

New England Patriots defensive end Milton Williams (97) celebrates sacking Tennessee Titans quarterback Cam Ward (1) during the third quarter at Nissan Stadium in Nashville, Tenn., Sunday, Oct. 19, 2025. | Andrew Nelles / The Tennessean / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Williams, who had been on injured-reserve since mid-November due to an ankle injury, was not activated prior to the Pats’ Week 17 matchup with the New York Jets at MetLifeStadium. Per NFL regulations, Williams has been out for the past four games and was eligible to return for the weekend’s game. The Patriots had opened his 21-day return window earlier this week and was a limited participant at practice throughout the team’s practice sessions.

Williams’ absence has been a significant concern for the Patriots. In addition to being one of their most beloved players, Williams has also served as arguably their top defender since signing with the team this offseason. In 11 games this season, the 6’3” 290-pound defender has compiled 27 total tackles, 3.5 sacks, eight quarterback hits, one pass breakup and eight run-stuffs. Accordingly, Williams has proven himself quite worthy of his four-year, $104 million contract — which he signed with New England during the offseason.

While Campbell’s and Williams‘ respective health is most-valuable to the Pats for their impending playoff run, they are likely to see at least some action during the Pats’ Week 18 tilt against the Dolphins.

Despite having clinched both a playoff spot, and their first AFC East division title since 2019, New England will still be highly motivated to earn a victory in Week 18. The Pats remain in contention to secure the top overall playoff seed in the conference — along with the Denver Broncos, who also possess a 13-3 record. The Broncos will host the Los Angeles Chargers in their regular-season finale at Empower Field at Mile High — also to be played in the 4:25pm ET time slot.

For the Patriots to earn the one seed, along with a first-round playoff bye, they would need to beat the Dolphins, while the Broncos lose to the Chargers. Though both teams currently possess identical records, the tiebreaker would be awarded to Denver due to its superior record in games against common opponents.

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