Some familiar faces will cross paths Saturday at Gillette Stadium.
Some former New England Patriots and former Los Angeles Chargers will meet again on Saturday.
Between the active rosters, practice squads and reserve lists, seven players currently under contract with the clubs from the AFC East and AFC West have been part of both during their NFL tenures.
Here’s a glance through the past and present names in the fold for the 1 p.m. ET kickoff at Gillette Stadium.
LOS ANGELES
Taylor Heinicke, quarterback — After setting passing records at Old Dominion, Heinicke went undrafted to the Minnesota Vikings in 2015. He then spent two weeks on New England’s practice squad in the fall of 2017 before being released. Now a veteran of 29 starts as well as 6,663 yards, 39 touchdowns and 28 interceptions through the air, 31-year-old has also been a member of the Houston Texans, Carolina Panthers, Washington Commanders, Atlanta Falcons and XFL’s St. Louis Battlehawks. In August, Heinicke was traded into head coach Jim Harbaugh’s quarterback room leading up to the NFL’s 53-man roster deadline. Three appearances have followed as the backup to past Pro Bowler Justin Herbert, completing 3-of-3 throws for 28 yards.
Jalen Reagor, wide receiver — Placed on injured reserve in December, Reagor had signed with Los Angeles’ practice squad after being released from New England’s in September. Following standard elevations, the 25-year-old wide receiver was promoted to the active roster in November. His 2024 Chargers campaign brought a pair of starts across eight appearances, plus seven catches for 100 yards and one kickoff return for 22 yards. Reagor made the initial 53-man roster in Foxborough out of training camp. The TCU product, selected by the Philadelphia Eagles at No. 21 overall in the 2020 NFL draft, had arrived at Gillette Stadium as the practice squad formed last year. He finished 2023 with 138 receiving yards, 17 rushing yards and 221 return yards, including a 98-yard touchdown.
Eric Tomlinson, tight end — Tomlinson has spent 2024 between the active roster and practice squad in Los Angeles, appearing in nine games as both a standard elevation and member of the 53. The blocking tight end’s career has spanned stops with double-digit organizations since going undrafted out of UTEP in 2015. Count New England among the previous. The Patriots signed Tomlinson in October of the 2019 campaign. He went on to catch one pass for one yard through two appearances before being released. The 32-year-old now stands with 29 catches for 289 yards and three touchdowns over the course of 94 games and 54 starts.
Shaun Wade, cornerback — The Chargers added Wade to the practice squad as the calendar turned to September. He returned in that capacity the following month after a stint on the active roster. The 26-year-old defensive back had been on the active roster in Foxborough for the previous three campaigns. The former All-American and No. 160 overall pick via Ohio State was acquired from the Baltimore Ravens following his rookie preseason in 2021. Wade played in 20 games while a member of the Patriots. Starting six last fall, his stay included 26 tackles and one pass deflection. He accumulated 377 snaps on defense and 36 on special teams along the way.
NEW ENGLAND
Alex Erickson, wide receiver — The Patriots added the 32-year-old Erickson to the practice squad midway through December and a standard elevation quickly followed. A veteran out wide and on special teams, he spent 2023 between the practice squad and active roster for the Chargers. Eight appearances, including a trio of starts, were made during his stay while catching 16 passes for 232 yards and one touchdown. Originally entering the NFL with the Cincinnati Bengals as an undrafted free agent in 2016, the Wisconsin product led the league in kickoff return yardage as a rookie and finds himself 107 games in. A 17-game starter, Erickson’s career includes 112 receptions for 1,373 yards and two touchdowns to go with averages of 8.0 yards per punt return and 24.8 yards per kick return.
Hunter Henry, tight end — The Chargers of San Diego called Henry’s name with the No. 35 overall pick in the 2016 NFL draft. The John Mackey Award winner out of Arkansas earned All-Rookie honors from the Pro Football Writers of America soon after. He finished his tenure with 196 catches for 2,322 yards and 22 touchdowns across 49 starts and 55 games. After playing on the franchise tag as a captain for Los Angeles, Henry agreed to terms with New England on a three-year, $37.5 million contract as a free agent in 2021. A contract extension surfaced this past March. The 30-year-old tight end has tallied 199 catches for 2,205 yards and 19 touchdowns through 63 appearances while in Foxborough, starting 49. He has been voted a team captain in back-to-back seasons. And as 2024 nears its end, Henry holds career highs with 66 receptions and 674 receiving yards.
Jaylinn Hawkins, safety — The 27-year-old Hawkins signed with the Patriots as free agency opened in March. Across 15 appearances since then, he has made seven starts in the secondary and had a hand in 43 tackles as well as one fumble recovery and one pass breakup. Chosen by the Falcons in the fourth round of the 2020 draft class, the California Golden Bears product was then claimed off waivers during the final year of his rookie deal. From there, Hawkins saw action in 10 contests for the Chargers from October into January. Starting three games while with Los Angeles, the safety logged 11 tackles, one deflection and saw 108 snaps on defense to go with 126 snaps on special teams.