HEADLINES

New England Patriots News & Rumors

David Andrews Cleared To Resume Career

May 5th, 2020 at 6:56pm CST by Sam Robinson

The Patriots are on track to have their starting center back. David Andrews, who missed all of last season due to blood clots being found in his lungs, said (via the Associated Press’ Kyle Hightower) he has been cleared to resume football activities.

Andrews is no longer on any workout restrictions, he confirmed Tuesday. After being shut down for the season last August, Andrews spent the remainder of 2019 on medication for the scary issue. The longtime Pats starter said he has stopped taking that medication as part of his progression back to full health.

New England allowed Andrews’ 2019 replacement, Ted Karras, to leave in free agency. He landed with the Dolphins. Andrews is under contract through the 2020 season and set to earn $3MM in base salary this season.

Prior to missing all of last season, the former UDFA had played in 60 Patriots games since coming into the league in 2015. He started 57. He went on to start in three Super Bowls. The Pats are moving forward without acclaimed offensive line coach Dante Scarnecchia, who retired again this offseason, so having Andrews back will stand to help their group.

Titans Add Monti Ossenfort As Director Of Player Personnel

May 4th, 2020 at 5:05pm CST by Ben Levine

The Patriots’ organizational makeover doesn’t only apply to their roster. Albert Breer reports (via Twitter) that New England’s college scouting director, Monti Ossenfort, has been hired as the Titans’ new director of player personnel.

Ossenfort has been in contention for several GM gigs over the past few years, and he interviewed with the Browns this offseason. The Patriots blocked him from joining the Texans in 2018, and New England wouldn’t let Ossenfort or Nick Caserio head to Houston (following Brian Gaine‘s dismissal) in 2019.

While Caserio’s expiring contract was extended in February, it seemed that Ossenfort was inevitably going to switch teams. His contract was set to expire this month.

Ossenfort had held his role as college scouting director since 2014, and he had been with the organization since the early-2000s. As Michael David Smith of ProFootballTalk.com points out, the executive is already familiar with Titans general manager Jon Robinson, who spent almost a decade in New England. Ossenfort was also working for the Patriots during Mike Vrabel‘s playing days.

Patriots Not Inclined To Add Another QB?

May 3rd, 2020 at 3:54pm CST by Sam Robinson

Patriots, Jaguars Interested In Andy Dalton

April 30th, 2020 at 9:42am CST by Dallas Robinson

The Patriots and Jaguars are among the teams with interest in former Bengals quarterback Andy Dalton, a source tells Tyler Dragon of the Cincinnati Enquirer (Twitter link).

The news of Dalton’s release in Cincinnati only came to light this morning, but it appears the veteran signal-caller already has suitors. No team stepped up to trade for Dalton and his $17.7MM base salary, but he shouldn’t want for interest now that he’s available at, presumably, a much lower financial cost.

New England, for its part, only has 2019 fourth-round pick Jarrett Stidham and free agent addition Brian Hoyer in its quarterback room. Stidham is in line to replace Tom Brady, but it would make sense for the club to add more competition. Head coach Bill Belichick recently said the Patriots’ decision not to draft a passer in the 2020 draft was “not by design,” so it doesn’t appear New England has ruled out bringing in another quarterback.

In Jacksonville, Gardner Minshew will fully take the reins as the Jaguars’ starter in 2020, but Dalton could push the 2019 sixth-rounder if signed. Dalton did some of his best work in Cincinnati under offensive coordinator Jay Gruden, who now holds the same title in Jacksonville.

Indeed, the Bengals did shop Dalton to the Jaguars on more than one occasion, according to Albert Breer of TheMMQB.com (Twitter link), but Jacksonville didn’t express much interest. Of course, Dalton’s salary may have played a role in the Jaguars’ view, and they could be eyeing Dalton now that he’s available for a cheaper price.

Patriots’ James Develin Retires From NFL

April 27th, 2020 at 12:44pm CST by Zachary Links

James Develin is calling it a career. On Monday, Develin announced his retirement from the sport via Instagram. 

[RELATED: Bill Belichick On QB Plans]

“Due to unforeseen complications with the injury that ended my season last year, I have decided it is both in my and my family’s best interest to retire from the game of football,” Develin wrote. “I’ve always maintained a believe that, in the sport, the team is much more important than myself as an individual. That belief still rings true, as I have to prioritize my team at home before anything else.”

Develin’s season ended in September after he suffered a neck injury. After thinking it over, Develin decided to move on rather than jeopardize his health further.

Develin signed his first NFL deal with the Bengals, but he has played every pro down with the Patriots. Save for the 2015 season he lost to injury, Develin appeared in every regular season game for the Pats between 2013 and 2018. In 2017, he earned his first career Pro Bowl nomination. In 2018, he inked a two-year contract extension, taking him through the 2020 season.

The 31-year-old (32 in July) didn’t see lots of targets in the Patriots’ offense, but he always provided reliable blocking. In ’17, for example, he graded out as Pro Football Focus’ No. 2 ranked run blocker among all qualified fullbacks and fourth amongst FBs in his blocking. Many teams have gotten away from using a fullback, but Develin bucked the trend as a throwback and an underrated part of the Pats’ game plan.

Even though Develin won’t be with the Patriots this year, he’ll be cheering them on from afar.

“Thank you to New England and Pats nation for your continued support of my team,” Develin wrote. “I look forward to continuing to support them right along with you.”

Patriots To Release Obi Melifonwu

April 27th, 2020 at 10:58am CST by Zachary Links

The Patriots are cutting safety Obi Melifonwu, as Field Yates of ESPN.com tweets. The former second-round pick of the Raiders will try to get his career back on track with another team in 2020.

[RELATED: Patriots Pass On Draft QBs, Sign UDFA Brian Lewerke]

Melifonwu didn’t see much playing time in his first year with Oakland due to injury. He finished out his rookie year with seven tackles in five games and two separate IR stints. After his release and injury settlement, he worked out for the Cowboys, Chiefs, Saints, and other clubs before hooking on with the Pats. Now that the Patriots are putting him back on the curb, those other clubs could revisit the safety as a low-cost and low-risk addition to the 90-man roster.

Melifonwu spent time on the Patriots’ taxi squad last year and re-upped with the team on a futures deal in January. After the Pats used a second-round pick to select Kyle Dugger out of D-II Lenoir-Rhyne University, they didn’t have a place for the 26-year-old.

AFC East Rumors: Dolphins, Wilson, Patriots, Jets

April 27th, 2020 at 9:56am CST by Zachary Links

After Day 3 of the draft, the Dolphins added some safety depth and special teams help by picking up Kavon Frazier. But, before that, the Dolphins chatted with ex-Patriots safety Tavon Wilson about a minimum salary contract, Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald (on Twitter) hears. Wilson, who is presumably gunning for a better deal, declined.

With that, Frazier will fight for his place in the Dolphins’ sardine-packed safety group. Meanwhile, the 30-year-old Wilson will look for his next opportunity. Last year, Wilson made 13 starts for Detroit and registered 98 tackles, five passes defensed, two fumble recoveries, and one sack. Meanwhile, Pro Football Focus ranked him as the No. 26 safety in the entire NFL. Still, he hasn’t been able to score an offer to his liking and he hasn’t heard much, if anything, from the incumbent Lions.

Here’s more from the AFC East:

  • The Jets‘ draft has drawn positive reviews from most in the football world, but ESPN.com’s Rich Cimini isn’t sure if they did enough to strengthen the cornerback position. Jets GM Joe Douglas waited until the fifth round to take a corner and, when they did, they tapped Virginia product Bryce Hall, is coming off of ankle surgery. As Hall heals up, the Jets may look to explore what’s left of the league’s free agent cornerbacks.
  • Did the Patriots reach with third-round tight ends Devin Asiasi (UCLA) and Dalton Keene (Virginia Tech) in the third round? Mel Kiper Jr. and one scout that spoke with ESPN.com’s Mike Reiss say that’s the case, though Reiss notes that they were both near the top of the Pats’ TE board heading into draft weekend. On the whole, this was viewed as a soft TE class, but that was one of the Pats’ biggest needs. Of course, they’d be in a much better spot if Rob Gronkowski opted to make his return with New England. Instead, Gronk will reunite with Tom Brady in Tampa Bay.
  • On draft week, the Bills picked up Tre’Davious White‘s fifth-year option, a no-brainer move that will keep him in the fold through the 2021 season.

Minor NFL Transactions: 4/26/20

April 26th, 2020 at 8:57pm CST by Andrew Ortenberg

Today’s minor moves:

Green Bay Packers

Houston Texans

  • Signed: LS Anthony Kukwa

New England Patriots

Pittsburgh Steelers

Davis signed with the Patriots as an undrafted free agent in 2017, and spent two of the past three seasons on injured reserve. He played a significant role on the 2018 team, starting three out of the six games he appeared in and winning Super Bowl LIII with the team. He was just re-signed last month, but didn’t last long.

All three of the players Pittsburgh cut spent time on their practice squad last year, but none of them have appeared in a regular season game yet.

Patriots Sign Brian Lewerke

April 26th, 2020 at 5:49pm CST by Andrew Ortenberg

The Patriots surprisingly opted not to draft a quarterback this weekend, but they’ve now signed a pair of passers who went undrafted. New England has inked former Michigan State quarterback Brian Lewerke to a free agent deal, his agent Mike McCartney tweeted.

The Patriots agreed to terms with former Louisiana Tech signal-caller J’Mar Smith last night. Lewerke had a bumpy career in the Big Ten, to say the least. He showed flashes of brilliance as a sophomore and was buzzed about as a potential future early draft pick, leading to a lot of excitement heading into 2018. A shoulder injury derailed that campaign, and his stats were awful when he was on the field as he threw 11 interceptions and only eight touchdowns while completing just 54.3 percent of his passes.

He bounced back a bit this past season but still wasn’t great, finishing with 17 touchdowns and 13 interceptions. He finished with a career 57.7 percent completion percentage, and never had a year above 59.6. He’s pretty mobile however, as he finished last year with 363 rushing yards and another three scores.

Another thing working in Lewerke’s favor is that he at least had the largest hands of any quarterback at the combine, clocking in at 10 5/8 inches. The Pats have very little certainty at the position, with Jarrett Stidham, Brian Hoyer, Smith, and now Lewerke on the roster. If they don’t add an established veteran like Andy Dalton or Cam Newton soon, it’s going to be a free for all whenever training camp gets underway.

Bill Belichick On Not Adding QB In Draft

April 26th, 2020 at 10:50am CST by Rory Parks

We heard last month that Jarrett Stidham, a fourth-round pick in the 2019 draft, is in the driver’s seat to open the 2020 season as the Patriots’ starting QB. But we also heard that New England was all but certain to select a rookie passer in this year’s draft in either the first round or with a mid-round choice, and that did not happen.

The Pats had the opportunity to select Utah State QB Jordan Love with the No. 23 overall pick, but they shipped that selection to the Chargers. They also had multiple chances to select passers like Jacob Eason and Jake Fromm, but they instead chose to address their defense and their thin TE depth chart.

So one of the big winners on draft night was Stidham, whom many believe is better than Love and the other QBs in this year’s class outside of the consensus top-three. Still, the fact that New England completely avoided the quarterback position until it agreed to sign UDFA J’Mar Smith came as a surprise to many, and head coach Bill Belichick was asked about the team’s approach in that regard.

“If we feel like we find the right situation, we’ll certainly draft [quarterbacks],” Belichick said (via Mike Reiss of ESPN.com). “We’ve drafted them in multiple years, multiple points in the draft. Didn’t work out the last three days. That wasn’t by design. We just tried to do the best we could with what we had this weekend.”

Belichick stopped short of anointing Stidham the starter, however. “Jarrett had a good year last year,” the legendary HC said. “He improved a lot. We’ll see where that takes him.”

Per Reiss, Belichick also expressed confidence in veteran Brian Hoyer, who may be more suited to start at least the early stages of the 2020 season if Stidham is unable to get the necessary training camp reps due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The club could theoretically pursue a player like Cam Newton or Andy Dalton, but rumors connecting those two to Foxborough have generally been shot down.

Another speculative fit, Jameis Winston, came off the board earlier today.

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