Patriots-Raiders Week 5: Reggie Gilliam added to Thursday injury list as five non-participants reported

The New England Patriots’ Thursday injury report ahead of Week 5 against the Las Vegas Raiders grew again at Gillette Stadium, adding Reggie Gilliam to a list of five non-participants. According to Yahoo Sports, what had been four absences turned into five as the Patriots headed back to practice, setting up a late-week roster question that can affect how New England manages depth and reps.

Injury reports at this stage of the season matter because they often reflect which players are still limited even when practice continues. The Patriots’ update indicates that Gilliam’s status was still not clear enough for him to take part, and it also suggests a broader strain on availability, given the total number of players listed as non-participants.

For a team, Thursday’s report is typically the last chance to see who can participate at full speed before preparations narrow around game-day roles. With multiple non-participants already on the list, New England likely has to distribute practice reps accordingly, either by elevating next-man-up options or by reshaping how the team runs certain units and packages. Even when a player remains out, coaches still use practice to calibrate assignments, timing, and communication, particularly during the walk-through to full-practice transition that begins earlier in the week.

The matchup context also raises the stakes. The Patriots and Raiders each plan their Week 5 game around their weekly preparation, but availability can force adjustments in both week-to-week rhythm and in the details of each unit. When five players do not participate on a report, the immediate concern is not only who is missing, but how many specific roles those absences impact, from starter-level duties to special teams and situational sub packages.

Thursday updates can also foreshadow Friday’s final practice window and whatever designation the team uses to clarify who is available. If Gilliam remains among the non-participants late in the week, it would indicate that New England expects he will not be available for the game, which would push the Patriots’ depth plan further into the spotlight. If he returns to limited or full participation by the end of the week, then the Patriots can tighten game-day expectations around his involvement rather than building entirely around the next layer of personnel.

For the Raiders, every injury report is a potential window into how New England will protect, match up, and rotate roles. The Patriots’ ability to keep their preferred group intact, or to absorb the shuffle across positions and packages, can influence how Las Vegas approaches its week-to-week defensive and special teams planning. Thursday’s expanded list suggests the Patriots will at least be thinking about contingencies, even if the final availability picture changes before kickoff.

What to watch next is straightforward: whether Gilliam and the other four non-participants move onto limited participation or remain out as the week closes. The difference between “non-participant” and “limited” is often the difference between a stable game plan and a late reshuffling of assignments. With Week 5 now in the final prep window, the next injury report will likely define how the Patriots finalize their depth usage on both offense and special teams.