As I said last week, you never know what you're going to get in terms of the bottom of the New England Patriots' roster once gameday rolls around.
Today, the Pats announced that offensive lineman Thomas Welch was promoted from the practice squad while safety Ross Ventrone was released (expect him to go back to the practice squad, where he spent the first two weeks of the 2011 season) after getting activated for one week of glory against the Bills.
Welch was a 2010 seventh-round draft pick of New England, who was active in Week 1 against Miami before being released and re-signed to the practice squad (get the picture?).
With Sebastian Vollmer out tomorrow against the Oakland Raiders, rookie Nate Solder is expected to start at right tackle and Welch will add some depth to the offensive linemen.
Ventrone's release likely signals that safety Patrick Chung is healthy enough to play after missing last weekend's game in Buffalo with a hand injury. This is a good thing, the Patriots desperately need his playmaking ability and hard hits. Hell if he can tackle, he'll be a huge improvement over Josh Barrett and Sergio Brown.
The other roster news that broke today is that cornerbacks Leigh Bodden (groin) and Ras-I Dowling (hip) have been declared out for tomorrow. Albert Haynesworth is also out, meaning that New England will need to designate one more inactive before kickoff against Oakland.
Devin McCourty will start opposite either Kyle Arrington (it's gotta be him) or Antwaun Molden. Phillip Adams will be coming off the bench as a substitute for the cornerbacks.
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