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Aug 21, 2025; East Rutherford, New Jersey, USA; New York Giants defensive tackle Cory Durden (69) celebrates a defensive stop during the second half against the New England Patriots at MetLife Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

Patriots Sign Former Giants DT, Elevate Practice Squad Pair

Originally posted on New England Patriots on SI
By Mike D'Abate | Last updated Sep 6, 2025 5:05 PM ET

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. — On the eve of their 2025 NFL regular season opener, the New England Patriots have made a a series of changes to their new-look defense.

The team announced on Saturday, this signing of defensive tackle Cory Durden to the 53-man roster from the practice squad and released DT Jeremiah Pharms Jr.

In addition, the Pats have elevated defensive back Corey Ballentine and linebacker Mark Robinson to the active roster from the practice squad for their Week 1 matchup against the Las Vegas Raiders at Gillette Stadium. Kickoff is scheduled for 1:00 pm ET.

Durden was signed by New England to the practice squad in the wake of final roster cuts in late August. The 26-year-old originally entered the NFL as a rookie free agent with the Detroit Lions in May 2023 out of North Carolina State. The 6’4” 305-pounder, was released by the Lions at the end of training camp and was signed by the Los Angeles Rams to the practice squad before joining the 53-man roster. He began the 2024 season on the Rams practice squad before being signed by the New York Giants to the 53-man roster on Dec. 2. Overall, he has played in eight games and has 13 total tackles.

Ballentine joined the Patriots practice squad shortly after final roster cuts at the conclusion of the preseason. The 29-year-old is a veteran of seven NFL seasons with the New York Giants (2019-20), New York Jets (2020), Detroit Lions (2021) and Green Bay Packers (2022-24). The 5’11” 196-pounder, originally entered the NFL as a sixth-round draft pick by the Giants in the 2019 NFL Draft out of Washburn. He has played in 69 NFL games with 11 starts and has 67 total tackles, one interception and two forced fumbles. He has also returned 37 kickoffs for 876 yards. Ballentine was signed by the Indianapolis Colts as an unrestricted free agent this past spring but was released on Aug. 1. He then signed with Green Bay on Aug. 4 but was released on Aug. 26.

With second-team All-Pro Christian Gonzalez having been ruled out for this Week 1 matchup, Ballentine should help to provide defensive back depth at cornerback behind Carlton Davis III, Alex Austin, D.J. James, Marcus Jones, and Charles Woods.

Robinson, who also joined the Patriots practice squad in late August, is a veteran of three NFL seasons with the Pittsburgh Steelers. He originally joined the Steelers as a seventh-round draft pick in the 2022 NFL Draft out of Mississippi. The 5’11” 235-pounder, has played in 38 NFL games with four starts and has 34 total tackles, one sack, a forced fumble and 11 special teams tackles.

In order to accommodate the aforementioned signing of Durden, the Patriots released Pharms. The 28-year-old originally joined New England in July 2022 after playing for the Pittsburgh Maulers of the USFL. The 6’2” 300-pound defensive lineman spent the entire 2022 season on the practice squad, After starting the 2023 season on the scout team, Pharms was signed to the 53-man roster. He has played in 28 games with five starts over the last two seasons and has 42 total tackles and 2 sacks.

This article first appeared on New England Patriots on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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