New England has injuries at cornerback and Miami may see a familiar face play an unexpected position

Lynn Bowden Jr. caught six of seven targets for 37 yards for the Miami Dolphins against the New England Patriots back on Dec. 20, 2020. Roughly two years later, Bowden is on New England’s practice squad.

The Dolphins and Patriots, both alive in the wildcard race with two weeks left in the regular season, are preparing for a Sunday-afternoon bout. With that in mind, Thursday’s practice report featured a combined 14 players who did not participate.

For the Patriots, that list included cornerback Jack Jones (Knee), defensive back Marcus Jones (Concussion), cornerback Jalen Mills (Groin), and safety Adrian Phillips (Illness). Additionally, cornerback Jonathan Jones (Chest) was limited for the second-straight day.

Mike Reiss, who covers the Patriots for ESPN, shared an interesting option for the team as they deal with an “all-hands-on-deck type of week” in the secondary.

“Practice-squad WR Lynn Bowden Jr. was an option that came to mind, with added value as a returner,” Reiss tweeted while discussing the team’s defensive backfield.

Bowden is a versatile player but couldn’t develop a consistent role with the Las Vegas Raiders or Dolphins. While Reiss noted previous times Bill Belichick has gotten a player to successfully flip sides, there is a reason it’s only happened twice since he became coach of the team in 2000.

This is more of a floated idea than it is a true possibility for Sunday and it’s likely that New England holds out hope that a few players can improve throughout the week, but after more than 22 years, we’ve also learned that Belichick has a way of making things work.