On Wednesday, NFL Nework's Ian Rapaport reported that New England Patriots wide receiver Mack Hollins would be returning to practice, beginning his 21-day window to be activated off the injured reserve.

In his second year with the Patriots, Hollins landed on injured reserve after sustaining a calf injury in the second half of New England's win over Buffalo in Week 4.

A big one for the #Patriots: WR Mack Hollins is set to return to practice today, sources say.

Hollins, a glue guy for NE, has been on Injured Reserve with a calf injury and would help immensely vs the #Packers. pic.twitter.com/8uhIzxvxZ8

— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) November 4, 2026

Through the first four weeks of the season, Hollins was the Patriots' leading receiver in yards and receptions, making his injury a major loss for the offense. Despite Hollins' absence, New England's passing game has been able to deliver, putting up 282.3 receiving yards per game from Weeks 5 to 8.

Bolstering a Beaten Down Offense

At the time of his injury, Hollins was the second Patriots receiver to land on IR this season, following A.J. Brown — who was injured in Week 1. Two weeks after Hollins came up gimpy on his right leg, Romeo Doubs was sidelined and sent to the injured reserve with a shoulder injury.

Brown returned in Week 6 and played only two games, missing Week 8's contest against Miami with a knee problem that arrived during last week's practice. Doubs isn't eligible to return off the injured reserve until Week 12. Drake Maye was left with just three receivers signed to the 53-man roster last Sunday against the Dolphins.

While New England's been able to make-do with the weakened wide recievers by utilizing tight ends and running backs in the passing game, those positions aren't exactly healthy either. TreVeyon Henderson didn't play in Week 8 due to an illness and is also still recovering a high ankle sprain sustained a couple games prior.

In the second half against Miami, tight end Hunter Henry injured his foot, leaving his status for Week 9's game against the Green Bay Packers up in the air. These considerations provide more value to Hollins' activation, who is looking to make an immediate impact in his return to play.

How Mack Hollins Changes WR Production

Hollins has played a major role in big situations for New England's passing attack. Maye often finds the 6-foot-4 receiver on third and fourth down plays. Since his injury, Henry has assumed that role, but with the tight end potentially missing some time, having Hollins back in the fold brings a much needed security blanket to last year's runner-up for MVP.

Part of the struggle for New England's wide receivers this year has been finding consistency, and the player that's been hurt the most by this is Brown. The superstar wide receiver has hauled in just nine of 20 passes thrown to him and has struggled to find meaningful production on offense.

Adding another perimeter threat in Hollins creates opportunities for Brown that he hasn't had due to defensive gameplans taking him out of the game (as well as uncharacteristically unreliable pass catching abilities). In the three quarters they played together in Week 1, Hollins' separation caused Seattle's defense to not overcommit on Brown. Maye took advantage of this adjustment, placing a deep pass to Brown that slipped off his fingers.

The Hollins effect can be seen through the sample size of games he missed last year with an abdomen injury. The wide receiver landed on injured reserve late last season, missing the final two weeks of the regular season and two playoff games. In those games, Maye threw for an average of 35 yards less than his season average passing yards per game. Returning to action in the AFC Championship game and the Super Bowl, Hollins was the leading receiver for New England in both contests.

Locker Room Effect

The 33-year-old Hollins is in his 10th NFL season and is the most veteran receiver residing in Foxboro. While he's never been known to be a top wideout option, his voice and demeanor had a huge impact on a receiver room that many defenses looked past last season.

Hollins has extended his interest in this Patriots team far beyond the field. In both weeks the Patriots traveled while he was injured, Hollins made the trip with the players to Chicago and Miami — something that isn't required of players on IR.

Last week, New England's receivers had an average of 2.75 years of experience in the NFL. Activating the veteran Hollins and hopefully seeing Brown return to play on Sunday will bring a transformational impact to New England's offense and its high-caliber quarterback.