The New England Patriots made an interesting move on Tuesday.

New England placed running back Ty Montgomery on injured reserve and called up wide receiver Lil'Jordan Humphrey from the practice squad to take Montgomery's spot on the active 53-man roster. Montgomery will miss at least four games.

Montgomery suffered a knee injury that appeared to be serious in the Patriots' preseason finale against the Las Vegas Raiders on August 26, having to get carted off the field midgame. However, Montgomery missed just a pair of practices in the following week and was limited in practice in the leadup to the Week 1 game against the Dolphins.

Surprisingly, Montgomery played on Sunday and had a decent-sized role. He scored the Patriots' only touchdown in the 20-7 loss, catching a six-yard touchdown pass from Mac Jones late in the third quarter.

Montgomery played 21 offensive snaps in Week 1, mostly being utilized as the Patriots' third-down running back and a receiver out of the backfield. He finished with three receptions for 15 yards, but had minus-two yards on two carries. Montgomery graded well as a pass-blocker though, finishing with an 82.7 pass-blocking grade, per Pro Football Focus.

The decision to place Montgomery on injured reserve leaves the Patriots without a clear third-down running back. Damien Harris and Rhamondre Stevenson each added a pair of receptions in Sunday's game though they really haven't ever been utilized much as receiving or pass-blocking running backs over their young careers.

Fourth-round rookie Pierre Strong Jr. is the other running back on New England's roster. He was a healthy scratch for Sunday's game and didn't do much to impress in the preseason or training camp.

J.J. Taylor could be elevated from the practice squad to fill in for Montgomery. Taylor has 147 rushing yards on 42 carries and five receptions for 12 yards over 11 career games.

Meanwhile, Humphrey was a standout during the preseason. He caught 13 passes for 140 yards and a touchdown over three games, showing promise as both a wide receiver and a tight end. New England placed second-round rookie Tyquan Thornton on injured reserve in August.