HEADLINES

Ben Wooldridge

AFC East Notes: Jets, QBs, McDonald, Pats

May 23rd, 2025 at 8:15pm CST by Ely Allen

With Aaron Rodgers out of New York, the new quarterback on the block is Justin Fields. Fields will be backed up by veteran Tyrod Taylor, who hasn’t held a full-time starting role since his time in Buffalo in 2017. Past that, though, the Jets have two inexperienced options to compete for that QB3 role.

Adrian Martinez and undrafted rookie Brady Cook will be the two competing for that job. Martinez spent time at Nebraska and Kansas State before going undrafted in 2023. He spent an offseason as a rookie with the Lions but failed to stick around for the regular season. He did play in the United Football League in 2024 for the Birmingham Stallions, leading the team to a championship victory while earning the league’s MVP award and leading the league in rushing yards.

Cook was a three-year starter at Missouri, compiling a 20-5 record in his last two seasons with the Tigers. He’s efficient at limiting turnovers and displayed some decent mobility as a rusher in college.

What’s interesting is that, according to Brian Costello of the New York Post, neither player is likely to make the 53-man roster to start the season. Costello predicts that the team will only hold two quarterbacks (Fields and Taylor) on the roster, and the winner of the Martinez-Cook battle will likely be assigned to the practice squad.

Here are a couple of other rumors coming out of the AFC East:

  • Staying in the realm of quarterbacks, after trading away Joe Milton to Dallas, the Patriots were in need of a QB3 of their own to work behind Drake Maye and Joshua Dobbs. Enter undrafted rookie Ben Wooldridge. Wooldridge will be an older rookie at 25 years old after spending three years at Fresno State and four at Louisiana. One reason for the extra years was injury; he suffered a Lisfranc injury one season and dealt with a sprained AC joint in his throwing shoulder last year. According to ESPN’s Mike Reiss, the toughness and determination that kept him going through those injuries to earn the Sun Belt Conference Offensive Player of the Year is exactly what landed him an NFL opportunity and could keep him in the league for years to come.
  • The Jets liked what they saw out of defensive end Will McDonald in his sophomore campaign as he notched 10.5 sacks. They will hope to see him improve another part of his game in 2025 after he reportedly gained 15 pounds in order to help him set the edge, according to Ryan Dunleavy of the New York Post. Jermaine Johnson is coming off an Achilles tendon tear and was seen at Organized Team Activities this week working with trainers off to the side, according to the staff at NFL.com. With a training camp return for Johnson still up in the air, New York may need to lean on McDonald early in the upcoming season.

Patriots Sign 15 Undrafted Free Agents

May 13th, 2025 at 2:42pm CST by Nikhil Mehta

The Patriots signed 15 undrafted free agents to bring their rookie class to 26 players. Here are New England’s UDFAs:

  • Demeer Blankumsee, WR (Memphis)
  • Efton Chism III, WR (Eastern Washington)
  • Jack Conley, OL (Boston College)
  • Brandon Crossley, CB (SMU)
  • C.J. Dippre, TE (Alabama)
  • Brock Lampe, FB (Northern Illinois)
  • Lan Larison, RB (UC Davis)
  • Josh Minkins, S (Cincinnati)
  • Jordan Polk, CB (Texas State)
  • Elijah Ponder, LB (Cal Poly)
  • Cam Riley, LB (Florida State)
  • Jahvaree Ritzie, DT (North Carolina)
  • Gee Scott Jr., TE (Ohio State)
  • Jeremiah Webb, WR (South Alabama)
  • Ben Wooldridge, QB (Louisana)

Chism’s production improved across each of his five years at Eastern Washington, culminating in a stellar 2024 campaign. He recorded an FCS-high 120 receptions for 1,311 yards and 13 touchdowns, earning him first-team All-American and All-Big Sky honors. The 5-foot-10 Chism projects as a slot receiver at the next level, where his toughness and agile route-running can shine. Still, he’ll face a sizable jump in overall talent, physicality, and athleticism in the NFL; his 4.71-second 40-yard dash at his pro day would’ve been the slowest among WRs at the Combine. Multiple teams were involved in a bidding war for Chism after the draft, including the Broncos, according to ESPN’s Mike Reiss, but the Patriots won his signature with $259k in guaranteed money.

Dippre spent two years at Maryland before transferring to Alabama in 2023. He was never a productive pass-catcher in college, but established himself as a consistent blocker and special teams presence, which will likely endear him to new Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel. He has the size, strength, and athleticism to be a blocking TE2 in the NFL, but he will need to make significant strides as a receiver to grow into more.

Larison ran for more than 2,500 yards and 30 touchdowns across the last two years at UC Davis, but his exploits as a pass-catcher in 2024 (62 catches, 847 yards, six touchdowns) proved he had even more to offer in the NFL. His contract with the Patriots includes a $25k signing bonus and $150k in guaranteed salary, per KPRC2’s Aaron Wilson.

Ponder spent five years at Cal Poly, first garnering national attention with 8.0 sacks and 11.0 tackles for loss in 2021. He took a step back in 2022 but posted 25.5 TFLs and 18.0 sacks over his final two seasons, earning first-team All-Big Sky nods in each year. Ponder then put together an elite pro day performance that placed him among the most athletic edge rushers in the 2025 draft class. His 10-yard split, vertical jump, and broad jump would have led the position at the Combine and his agility scores trailed only eventual second-round pick Donovan Ezeiruaku.

Ritzie is an athletic defensive lineman with sparse production across his first three years at UNC. He broke out as a senior with 6.5 TFLs and 6.5 sacks in 2024, plus an impressive Combine performance that showed off his speed and explosiveness. His length and athleticism could be developed into a more consistent pass-rushing impact in the NFL, but he’s too susceptible to being moved off the point of attack in the run game.