Patriots activate sophomore cornerback Alex Austin from injured reserve

A spot on the 53-man roster has changed hands for theNew England Patriots.

Afterwaivingcornerback Marco Wilson, the organization officiallyactivatedfellow cornerback Alex Austin on Monday afternoon.

Austin, 23, saw his21-day practice windowopen before the calendar turned to November after missing all of last month while oninjured reserve.Working back from an ankle injury, the NFL sophomore went from a limited participant to a full participant for consecutive weeks. Recently carrying aquestionablegame status, Wednesday loomed as the deadline for his return to the active roster.

The Oregon State product entered the league in the seventh round of the 2023 draft at No. 252 overall. Following stops with theBuffalo BillsandHouston Texans,he arrived in Foxborough last November and had his exclusive rights retained on a one-year deal prior to free agency in March.

Austin stands eight appearances and one start into his stay with New England. The 6-foot-1, 191-pound corner has totaled one interception and nine tackles over the course of 225 snaps on defense and 42 snaps on special teams.

In additional movement, outside linebacker Keshawn Banks and inside linebacker Joe Giles-Harris have reverted to the practice squad, per the transaction wire. Both served asstandard elevationsfor what became a 28-22 loss to theLos Angeles Ramson Sunday.

Banks, 24, handled 18 snaps in the kicking game at Gillette Stadium. He had signed to the practice squad in October after visiting for a workout in September. The 6-foot-3, 255-pound edge defender out of San Diego State entered the NFL with theGreen Bay Packersas an undrafted free agent in 2023. His rookie debut came as an elevation for the NFC divisional round last January, logging two snaps on defense and nine snaps on special teams. After clearing waivers at the league’s 53-man cutdown in August, Banks stepped into the UFL ranks with the Michigan Panthers.

Giles-Harris, 27, checked in for 22 snaps on special teams and recorded his third tackle of the campaign on Sunday. It marked his third and final call-up following appearances against theNew York JetsandChicago Bears.The 6-foot-2, 234-pound veteran has also played 17 snaps on defense since spending all of last campaign on New England’s practice squad and signing a futures contract. Undrafted in 2019, the Duke alum has also been a member of the Bills andJacksonville Jaguars.His career includes 29 tackles, one sack and three starts across 20 games.

TheMiami Dolphinshost next Sunday’s 1 p.m. ET kickoff at Hard Rock Stadium.