Patriots open Brenden Schooler's practice window off NFI list
The short version
- Brenden Schooler practiced Wednesday for the first time this season
- His 21-day return window from the NFI list opened at the earliest possible date
- He cannot be activated until after Week 4, making the Week 5 Raiders game his earliest return
- Schooler was a 2025 Patriots captain with Pro Bowl and All-Pro special teams honors
- Linebacker Harold Landry III remains on the PUP list
New England's special teams captain returned to practice Wednesday and could be activated for a Week 5 matchup with the Raiders.
New England Patriots special teams captain Brenden Schooler took the field for Wednesday's practice, his first team work since before training camp. The 29-year-old had spent the season to date on the reserve/non-football injury list after missing all of camp this summer.
Under league rules adopted this year, players on the NFI and physically unable to perform lists may begin practicing after the second week of the regular season. Schooler's 21-day return window opened Wednesday, the first day he was eligible. He cannot be activated to the 53-man roster until after Week 4, which puts the Patriots' home game against the Las Vegas Raiders in position to be his possible season debut.
Until then, New England has road games against the Jacksonville Jaguars and Buffalo Bills, which Schooler will miss. He signed with the Patriots as an undrafted free agent in 2022 out of Texas and has played 66 games for the club, earning Pro Bowl and first-team All-Pro honors on special teams.
Schooler was named a team captain for the first time in 2025, a season in which he recorded 1,433 special teams snaps alongside a situational defensive role. He signed a three-year contract extension with the Patriots in 2024. Fellow 2025 captain Harold Landry III remains on New England's PUP list.
