Practice squad players may not have a big role in a team’s productivity, but they are still a crucial part of the franchise. When a starter is injured, and the roster depth is at its lowest, coaches mostly rely on practice squad members to bring depth back to the roster. However, NFL legend Tom Brady may not share the same feeling. Recently, he let out a controversial take about the practice squad players not aiming for the top, something that a former teammate didn’t agree with.

“I learned this, you know, again, over a period of years,” said Tom Brady to Daniel Cormier on UFC’s Champion Mindset podcast, via The Vigilant Fox on X. “But there’s 53 guys on the active roster, and there’s now 15 guys on the practice squad. So, there’s 68 players. But those practice squad players are important because if anybody on the active roster gets hurt, they can get elevated to the squad… Then all of a sudden, we’re like, ‘Hey man, you’re doing really well. You got to come over here and deal with the pressure of succeeding now that you have expectation.’

“And these guys are like, they weren’t prepared for it. So whatever we saw in practice against where there was not a lot of pressure, now when they’re put in a situation where there’s an expectation for performance, they’ve never had to personally deal with that, and then they fail. And then what I realized was a lot of guys on those practice squads, they don’t want to be elevated to the roster. They’re very happy living this life where they could tell their family and friends, which I have no problem with that. But the reality is a lot of guys don’t want the pressure of dealing with top.”

Brady’s seven rings carry weight. Fans treat his words as gospel, but this time, an ex-teammate and former Patriot pushed back.

“I tried to do everything I could do get elevated. Showed up early,” wrote Dorin Dickerson on X. “Left late. EVERYTHING.”

The Houston Texans drafted Dorin Dickerson in the seventh round of the 2010 NFL Draft. He stayed in Houston for the first year without any game time. And just before the start of the 2011 season, he was waived. After a brief practice squad stint with the Pittsburgh Steelers, the New England Patriots signed Dickerson in December 2011 to their practice squad.

He was signed after Rob Gronkowski suffered an ankle injury. With Aaron Hernandez as the only TE, Dickerson was believed to be a backup for him. Unfortunately, in late January, he was placed on injured reserve. Days later, the Patriots lost the Super Bowl to the New York Giants. A few months later, the Buffalo Bills signed him to the practice squad.

Dickerson was one win away from the Super Bowl, but practice squad rings differ from active roster rings. While the wide receiver missed his chance, there are others like John Kuhn, Laekin Vakalahi, and Jamie Sheriff who won it as practice squad members.

Despite Dickerson missing his chance to win the Super Bowl, years later, another Patriots player won it under the same circumstances, with Brady leading the franchise.

Dan Skipper won the Super Bowl with Tom Brady as a practice squad member

Dorin Dickerson spent the 2011 season with the New England Patriots and came within inches of winning the Super Bowl. But eight years later, the Patriots reached the Super Bowl in 2019. This team, the franchise, defeated the Kansas City Chiefs and won the sixth Super Bowl in 18 years. Out of all the players, there was a certain Dan Skipper in the practice squad who also got a Super Bowl LIII ring.

Skipper never played a single game for the Patriots, but still won the Lombardi Trophy. However, his efforts were never overlooked. While Skipper is a great example that even practice squad players work hard and have resilience, others went from being practice squad players to NFL legends.

Linebacker James Harrison went undrafted and spent the first two years of his career in the practice squad. Later, he was promoted to the active roster and retired with two Super Bowl rings. However, some players have been elevated to the active roster but still keep coming back to the practice squad.

Wide receiver Lil’Jordan Humphrey has been on both the active roster and the practice squad for the Giants, Patriots, Denver Broncos, and the New Orleans Saints, highlighting that his career still lacks stability. Brady’s statement may be true for a handful of players. But for the rest, they keep working hard just to have a shot at the active roster. Winning the Super Bowl is a great feeling, but it is better when the player is on the active roster. Only practice squad players know the rush of getting elevated to the active roster.