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          With Stephon Gilmore and Eric Rowe ailing, will Pats need roster move?

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          Does Brady have advantage over Ryan? (0:34)

          While the Falcons and Patriots continue to struggle on defense, Steve Young looks to the offense and whether Matt Ryan or Tom Brady will carry their team in this Super Bowl rematch. (0:34)

          • Mike Reiss, ESPN Staff WriterOct 20, 2017, 05:25 PM
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              Mike Reiss is an NFL reporter at ESPN and covers the New England Patriots. Reiss has covered the Patriots since 1997 and joined ESPN in 2009. In 2019, he was named Massachusetts Sportswriter of the Year by the National Sports Media Association. You can follow Reiss on Twitter at @MikeReiss.
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          FOXBOROUGH, Mass. -- Cornerbacks Stephon Gilmore (concussion) and Eric Rowe (groin) remained out of practice for the third straight day on Friday, making it unlikely they will play Sunday night against the Atlanta Falcons. That sparks a question: Will the New England Patriots be forced into a roster move?

          Facing a similar situation last week, the Patriots stayed the course and got by with Malcolm Butler, Johnson Bademosi and Jonathan Jones as their only corners against the Jets. They also tapped the versatile skill set of safeties Devin McCourty and Patrick Chung to help account for the void, which had a trickle-down effect on safety Jordan Richards seeing more playing time.

          It's one thing to do it against the Jets, but such an approach comes with additional risk against Matt Ryan, Julio Jones and the Falcons' attack. The Falcons have been in sets with three or more receivers 55 percent of the time this season, but that figures to increase Sunday night.

          Thus, it's timely to highlight two practice-squad cornerbacks -- Ryan Lewis and Jomal Wiltz -- who could provide some depth and insurance for the Patriots in the event of injury.

          The 6-foot, 200-pound Lewis is being paid as if he were on the active roster, an indication of why he would likely be the leading candidate. He played in 51 career games at the University of Pittsburgh and entered the NFL as an undrafted free agent this year with the Cardinals. The Patriots signed him to their practice squad after Lewis was released from Arizona's practice squad. Lewis had a chance to join the Bills' 53-man roster but elected to stay in New England, which led to his salary increase.

          Meanwhile, the 5-foot-10, 180-pound Wiltz appears to be more of a slot cornerback. The Iowa State alum signed with the Eagles as an undrafted free agent, was released at the final cut and initially joined the Patriots' practice squad five days later.

          One consideration for the Patriots is that if they promote Lewis, the chances of his clearing waivers to return to the practice squad might be slim, given the interest other teams have had in him. So the Patriots would have to be prepared to keep him on the roster in ensuing weeks if they wanted to make sure they didn't lose him.

          The team also has safeties David Jones and Damarius Travis on the practice squad.

          If the Patriots decide to promote a defensive back from the practice squad, then placing rookie Harvey Langi -- who sustained serious injuries in a car accident Oct. 13 -- on a reserve list would be a potential corresponding roster move to create space.