NEW ORLEANS – The Patriots will have two defense stars available, and a preseason star will make his NFL debut on Sunday.

The Patriots will have Pro Bowl cornerback and defensive tackle Milton Williams after both players were questionable heading into this matchup. After being inactive for the first five weeks of the season, Efton Chism III is also active and will play in his first NFL game against the New Orleans Saints.

Chism had multiple highlight-reel catches during the preseason before suffering an ankle injury. An undrafted free agent out of Eastern Washington, the rookie receiver quickly emerged as the most talented undrafted free agent on the Patriots roster this preseason.

With a deep chart, Chism has been behind Stefon Diggs, Kayshon Boutte, Mack Hollins, DeMario Douglas, and Kyle Williams this season. With running back/returner Antonio Gibson on the injured reserve, Chism could help the Patriots on special teams.

Gonzalez missed the team’s first three games due to a hamstring injury. He returned in Week 4 and played the last two games. Last weekend, Gonzalez played 100% of the snaps in the Patriots win in Buffalo. This week, he was listed on the injury report on Thursday and was limited due to a hamstring injury.

Mike Vrabel said the team would decide on Gonzalez’s status before today’s game.

“We’ll continue to monitor him and see where that goes,” Vrabel said on Friday. ‘We’ll try to make a decision at 10:30 a.m. Central Time, 90 minutes before the game. That’s where we’re at, and we’ll have to have a plan if he doesn’t go, and we’ll have a plan if he does go. Just like everybody else.

Williams wasn’t on the injury report this week, but the Patriots declared him questionable on Sunday morning due to an illness. The team’s biggest free agent signing, Williams, has been an impact player for the Patriots. He has 2.5 sacks, four quarterback hits, and five tackles for loss this season.

The Patriots inactives for Sunday are as follows: Keion White (elbow), Anfernee Jennings (ankle), Jaylinn Hawkins (hamstring), Eric Gregory (healthy scratch), Caedan Wallace (healthy scratch), and Tommy DeVito (emergency third quarterback).

If you purchase a product or register for an account through a link on our site, we may receive compensation. By using this site, you consent to our User Agreement and agree that your clicks, interactions, and personal information may be collected, recorded, and/or stored by us and social media and other third-party partners in accordance with our Privacy Policy.