Patriots Audition Vinnie Sunseri
Jets wide receiver Eric Decker says that Gang Green will have a leg up in the AFC East if Tom Brady is suspended for four games. However, they’re going to need a lot more to happen in order to have a realistic chance of toppling the Patriots, Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News writes. 
- Former New Orleans safety Vinnie Sunseri worked out for the Patriots last week, according to Adam Caplan of ESPN.com (via Twitter). Caplan adds that Sunseri’s recovery from ACL surgery is going well. The veteran is now nine months removed from going under the knife. Things haven’t been easy for Sunseri since coming into the NFL as a fifth-round pick in 2014. In his rookie year, he missed a good portion of the season with a broken arm. Then, prior to the 2015 season, he suffered an ACL tear which sidelined him for the entire campaign.
Eric Decker: Brady's Suspension Puts AFC East "Up For Grabs"
- With Tom Brady currently scheduled to miss the first four games of the season because of a suspension, the division is “up for grabs,” Jets wide receiver Eric Decker told NFL Network (via Christopher Price of WEEI). Decker’s Jets knocked off the Brady-led Patriots in one of two matchups last season, though New England took the division title at 12-4. The Jets finished a solid 10-6, but with Ryan Fitzpatrick still unsigned, their own quarterback situation isn’t sorted out.
Patriots Audition William Moore
Free agent safety William Moore recently worked out for the Patriots, a source tells Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (via Twitter). The former long-time starter for the Falcons was cut loose shortly after the Super Bowl and has been seeking NFL employment ever since. 
[RELATED: Patriots Notes: Belichick, Easley, Brady]
Moore, a former Pro Bowler, was a starting safety for Atlanta, racking up 51 tackles and two interceptions in 11 games in 2015. Unfortunately, injuries held him back and his campaign formally ended on December 15th when he was placed on IR. In total, Moore spent seven seasons in Atlanta, playing in 76 games with 72 starts and earned a Pro Bowl selection in 2012. Moore amassed 481 tackles (319 solo) with 16 interceptions, 3.5 sacks, 10 forced fumbles, three fumble recoveries, and 38 passes defensed during his time with the Falcons.
The day after Moore was released, agent Andy Ross claimed that his client had already received “a few calls” from teams inquiring about his client. As far as we know, that supposed interest did not materialize in a workout with any club until this week’s New England audition. The Patriots seem pretty set at safety, so it’s not clear how interested they might be in signing Moore at this time.
Earlier today, PFR’s Dallas Robinson ran down the best remaining free agents on defense. Moore did not make the cut.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Patriots Notes: Belichick, Easley, Brady
Bill Belichick sees a “strong trend” in the NFL with hybrid defensive players, as Mike Reiss of ESPN.com writes. This year, the Patriots followed that trend when they selected Kamu Grugier-Hill of Eastern Illinois in the sixth-round, a player who played linebacker in college but could play safety in the NFL. 
“I think that you are definitely seeing a strong trend in the league towards corners that play safety or corner-type athletes that play safety, bigger safeties that play linebacker. Both of those are trends,” Belichick said during the draft.
At 6’2″ and 215 pounds, Grugier-Hill is on the bigger side for a safety but light for a linebacker in the team’s base defense. The Patriots wil likely move him between both positions, depending on their needs throughout the season and during each drive.
Here’s more out of New England:
- The Patriots have offset language on Dominique Easley’s $1.084MM salary, as Ben Volin of The Boston Globe (Twitter links) points out. The Patriots now only owe Easley the difference between that figure and what the Rams pay him. The minimum salary for Easley is $600K, so at most, the Patriots will owe him roughly $484K.
- If Tom Brady and the NFLPA successfully get U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit to give them another hearing, then the quarterback will likely avoid any suspension for the 2016 season as the legal proceedings drag on. However, even if the Second Circuit denies the petition, the Pats QB still has a path by which he can further delay his suspension, Mike Florio of PFT writes. The first step then would be for Brady to ask the Second Circuit for a stay of the suspension while an appeal to the Supreme Court is prepared. If that request is denied, Brady would present the question of whether the suspension will be stayed not to the Supreme Court justice assigned to the Second Circuit, Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg. If Ginsburg were to issue a stay, Brady would not be suspended until 2017, at the earliest.
- Earlier this week, Dwight Freeney told Peter King of The MMQB that he would not rule out joining up with the Patriots.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Danny Amendola Had Pair of Offseason Surgeries
Patriots receiver Danny Amendola underwent a pair of surgeries this offseason, reports Jeff Howe of the Boston Herald. The 30-year-old had surgery on his injured left knee, and he also had an operation to remove a bone spur in his ankle. Despite these ailments, Amendola still managed to play 14 games last season, compiling 65 catches for 648 yards and three touchdowns.
Dwight Freeney Still Aiming To Play In 2016
Veteran Dwight Freeney says that he still wants to play in 2016, as Peter King of The MMQB writes. Things have been pretty quiet with regards to the 36-year-old this summer so far, but it sounds like he’s still hoping to hook on with a team on a low-end one-year deal. 
“I’m still having fun,” Freeney said. “Why stop? I still have the fire to play. My body feels great. I still have more to give.”
Freeney has said that he would like to return to the Cardinals for this upcoming season, though he is also very open to playing for another contender if that doesn’t pan out. The veteran turned out to be a heck of a value for Arizona after he recorded eight sacks in 11 games at a modest salary of $970K. That sack total was his highest since his age-31 season in 2011 with the Colts. Impressively, Freeney set that watermark without having started a single game.
Over the course of 14 years in the NFL, Freeney has earned seven Pro Bowl selections and three First-Team All-Pro nods. He spent many of those years as a key member of the Colts’ defense where he clashed frequently with Bill Belichick‘s Patriots. Despite that history, the veteran says he would not rule out a union with New England if they called.
“Well,” Freeney said, “That’s hard to fathom. But I’m not against Bill. I understand the dynamic involved, but at the end of the day, this is a business. My first allegiance right now is to Arizona, if they’re interested. But if it happened that I ended up in New England, I can tell you, both sides would win.”
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Danny Amendola Says Chris Long Was A Major Factor In Decision To Accept Paycut
- Earlier this month, Danny Amendola took a significant pay cut to remain with the Patriots. When weighing whether he should accept the pay cut or decline and perhaps try his luck on the open market, Amendola says one of the most significant factors impacting his decision to accept was the presence of the newly-signed Chris Long. Amendola and Long were teammates on the Rams from 2009-12, and Amendola said, “[Long]’s a great teammate and one of my best friends,” adding that it will be “a lot of fun” to share a locker room again with Long (link via Mike Reiss of ESPNBoston.com).
Patriots Re-Sign Joey Iosefa
- Just one week after being released by New England, running back Joey Iosefa is re-signing with the Patriots, per Doug Kyed of NESN.com. Iosefa, who played in two games for the Pats in 2015, turned down the opportunity to work out for another club, according to Mike Reiss of ESPN.com (Twitter link), who adds that Iosefa had planned to re-sign with New England all along.
Joe Cardona Expected To Receive Approval For 2016
- Patriots long snapper Joe Cardona, who played his college ball at Navy, is expected to continue his NFL career in 2016. Paul Pabst of the Dan Patrick Show tweeted today that Secretary of the Navy Ray Mabus announced that Cardona’s request to continue playing in the NFL has been approved. However, Mike Reiss of ESPN.com (Twitter links) cautions that one more “layer of approval” is still required — it’s looking good for Cardona, but it’s not official yet, says Reiss.
Update On Julian Edelman
Patriots wide receiver Julian Edelman recently underwent left foot surgery but is on track to return for training camp, sources tell Adam Schefter and Mike Reiss of ESPN.com (on Twitter). Edelman recently was spotted in New York City with a protective boot on his foot and riding around on a motorized device after having undergoing a “cleanup procedure” (link). 
- The Patriots worked out wide receiver LaRon Byrd on Wednesday, according to a source who spoke with Aaron Wilson of The Houston Chronicle (on Twitter). Byrd has had previous stints with Arizona, Dallas, Cleveland, and Miami. Washington released Byrd earlier this month.
- A phone call from Bill Belichick sealed the deal for undrafted running back D.J. Foster to sign with the Patriots, Mike Reiss of ESPN.com writes. “I was talking to a few teams at the time, but when I got the chance to talk to Coach Belichick, I kind of took a step back and talked to my family, figuring out what’s right for me in my life as a young adult,” the former Arizona State athlete said. “I thought it was the best decision for me.” Foster was a hybrid receiver/tailback in college but so far the Patriots have been utilizing him as a running back in practice. For his part, Foster says that he isn’t bummed out about going undrafted and says he’s excited about the opportunity that he has in New England.