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Conor McDermott

Patriots Notes: Kraft, McCourty, McDermott

February 26th, 2023 at 2:54pm CST by Adam La Rose

Robert Kraft has owned the Patriots since 1994, a tenure which has included the most notable feats in the franchise’s history. If he has his way, Kraft’s stint owning the franchise will not be ending any time soon.

The 81-year-old made it clear during an appearance on Fox Business that he is “never selling” the six-time Super Bowl winning team. The Patriots would certainly net a substantial sales price if that stance were to ever change, but being able to hand ownership of the franchise was one generation to the next is clearly Kraft’s top priority.

“We’ve set it up so that it hopefully stays in the family for many decades to come,” he said, via Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk. “After my family, the New England Patriots are the most important thing in my life. It’s not a business, it’s really part of my family… I love being in the locker room, being around the players. I just pinch myself that I’ve been so privileged to own a franchise in my hometown.”

Here are some other notes out of Foxborough:

  • Veteran safety Devin McCourty is a pending free agent, as was special teams ace Matthew Slater before he decided to continue his Patriots career for at least one more season. McCourty has yet to decide on his future, as detailed by Karen Guregian of the Boston Herald. The 35-year-old has been in New England since 2010, and he remained a productive, full-time starter in 2022 with 71 tackles and four interceptions. The former first-rounder’s most recent one-year deal contains a $9.7MM cap charge in 2023 via void years, but a new contract could alter that figure. He intends to make a decision about his playing future by the middle of March, likely in time for the start of the new league year.
  • Details are in on the new deal signed by offensive tackle Conor McDermott earlier this month. The 30-year-old will play in New England on a two-year contract with a base value of $3.6MM (Twitter link via ESPN’s Field Yates). The pact also contains incentives based on playing time, though, which means it could top out at $5.1MM. McDermott proved to be a valuable midseason signing off the Jets’ practice squad, as he started at right tackle to close out the regular season. He will at least compete for the No. 1 role at that spot this offseason.
  • McCourty’s future is up in the air, but so is that of two-time Patriot Malcolm Butler. The Super Bowl winning corner rejoined New England last offseason, but was ultimately released with an injury designation. He now feels 100% healthy, as noted by ESPN’s Mike Reiss, and is contemplating another attempted comeback as a player or the prospect of retiring and returning to college while transitioning to coaching. He last played with the Titans in 2020.

Patriots To Re-Sign OL Conor McDermott

February 18th, 2023 at 8:44pm CST by Adam La Rose

The Patriots will maintain a key midseason addition along the offensive line in 2023. New England has agreed to terms on a new deal with Conor McDermott, reports the Boston Globe’s Jim McBride (Twitter link).

[RELATED: Matthew Slater To Return To Patriots In 2023]

The 30-year-old was drafted by the Patriots in 2017, but it was in Buffalo that he made his NFL debut that season. That was followed by one more Bills campaign, then three-plus with the Jets. McDermott established himself as useful depth up front in New York, logging six starts across his 35 total appearances in the Big Apple.

That figure does not include any starts in 2022, a season in which the Jets suffered numerous injuries up front. Tackles Mekhi Becton, George Fant and Duane Brown all missed time during the campaign, but McDermott bounced on and off the team’s practice squad. In total, he saw a snap share of 18% on offense, his lowest total during his Jets tenure.

That precipitated a November deal allowing him to re-join the Patriots, with whom he remained on the 53-man roster. More to the point, the former sixth-rounder started all six games he played in with New England, never leaving the field on offense. That allowed him to fill in for the injured Isaiah Wynn at right tackle to close out the season. His performance down the stretch has obviously sat well with the Patriots.

Given Wynn’s struggles when healthy (earning a PFF grade of 54.6, the lowest of his career after allowing four sacks and 17 pressures) McDermott will now be able to compete for the full-time starting role this offseason, at the RT spot or elsewhere.

Patriots Sign OL Conor McDermott Off Jets’ Practice Squad

November 22nd, 2022 at 1:21pm CST by Sam Robinson

A Jets offensive line backup for the past four seasons, Conor McDermott is heading out of town. The Patriots are signing the veteran blocker off the Jets’ practice squad, Field Yates of ESPN.com tweets.

While the Jets have been McDermott’s primary NFL employer, this transaction will mark a homecoming. The Patriots drafted McDermott in the 2017 sixth round out of UCLA.

Amid their early-season issues staffing their tackle positions, the Jets used McDermott to fill the roles opened by the injuries to Mekhi Becton, George Fant and Duane Brown. While Becton is out for the season and Fant remains on IR, Brown has returned. The Jets, who have also seen guard-turned-tackle Alijah Vera-Tucker suffer a season-ending injury, have used journeyman Cedric Ogbuehi as their starting right tackle in recent weeks. McDermott, who has seen time on 18% of the Jets’ offensive plays this season, played against the Patriots in Week 11 but did so as a P-squad gameday elevation.

McDermott, 30, did not make the Patriots’ 2017 roster and only spent a few months with the team post-draft. The Bills claimed the 6-foot-8 lineman and kept him around through the 2018 season. Playing 39% of the Jets’ offensive snaps last season and seeing action on 31% of their 2019 offensive plays, McDermott has played in 43 career games and made six starts.

The Patriots lost O-line starters David Andrews and Isaiah Wynn during their win over the Jets, creating a need for reinforcements. Both are expected to miss time. New England also has its starting right tackle, Marcus Cannon, on IR.

Minor NFL Transactions: 11/19/22

November 19th, 2022 at 8:05pm CST by Ely Allen

The league’s minor moves leading up to gameday:

Arizona Cardinals

Atlanta Falcons

Baltimore Ravens

Buffalo Bills

Chicago Bears

Dallas Cowboys

Detroit Lions

Houston Texans

Indianapolis Colts

Kansas City Chiefs

Las Vegas Raiders

Los Angeles Chargers

Los Angeles Rams

Minnesota Vikings

  • Signed to active roster: TE Nick Muse
  • Promoted from practice squad: CB Tay Gowan
  • Waived: OLB Benton Whitley

New Orleans Saints

New York Giants

New York Jets

Washington Commanders

Minor NFL Transactions: 11/5/22

November 5th, 2022 at 8:51pm CST by Ben Levine

We’ll keep track of today’s minor moves here:

Arizona Cardinals

Carolina Panthers

Cincinnati Bengals

Detroit Lions

Indianapolis Colts

Los Angeles Chargers

Los Angeles Rams

Miami Dolphins

  • Promoted: OT Kion Smith

Minnesota Vikings

New York Jets

Seattle Seahawks

Tennessee Titans

Washington Commanders

Minor NFL Transactions: 10/29/22

October 29th, 2022 at 5:51pm CST by Ely Allen

Here are the minor moves leading into Sunday’s slate of games:

Arizona Cardinals

Atlanta Falcons

Carolina Panthers

Cleveland Browns

Dallas Cowboys

Denver Broncos

Detroit Lions

Green Bay Packers

Houston Texans

Las Vegas Raiders

Los Angeles Rams

Miami Dolphins

Minnesota Vikings

New England Patriots

New Orleans Saints

New York Jets

Philadelphia Eagles

San Francisco 49ers

Seattle Seahawks

Washington Commanders

NFL Practice Squad Updates: 10/18/22

October 18th, 2022 at 7:49pm CST by Sam Robinson

Here are Tuesday’s practice squad additions and subtractions:

Arizona Cardinals

  • Signed: LB Blake Lynch
  • Released: WR Stanley Berryhill

Atlanta Falcons

Baltimore Ravens

Carolina Panthers

Chicago Bears

Denver Broncos

Green Bay Packers

  • Signed: S Innis Gaines
  • Released: CB Benjie Franklin, LB Ray Wilborn

Houston Texans

Indianapolis Colts

  • Signed: WR DeMichael Harris

Jacksonville Jaguars

Los Angeles Rams

Miami Dolphins

Minnesota Vikings

New England Patriots

New Orleans Saints

New York Jets

Pittsburgh Steelers

San Francisco 49ers

Seattle Seahawks

  • Released: WR Kevin Kassis

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Tennessee Titans

Washington Commanders

Minor NFL Transactions: 10/17/22

October 17th, 2022 at 3:42pm CST by Adam La Rose

Today’s minor moves around the league:

Buffalo Bills

Carolina Panthers

Denver Broncos

Green Bay Packers

Houston Texans

Kansas City Chiefs

Los Angeles Chargers

Miami Dolphins

Minnesota Vikings

New Orleans Saints

New York Jets

Tennessee Titans

Minor NFL Transactions: 9/5/22

September 5th, 2022 at 9:51pm CST by Adam La Rose

Today’s minor moves around the NFL:

Baltimore Ravens

  • Released from IR via injury settlement: WR Shemar Bridgers

Carolina Panthers

Cincinnati Bengals

  • Waived: CB Allan George
  • Reverted to active roster: S Jessie Bates

Cleveland Browns

Detroit Lions

Jacksonville Jaguars

Kansas City Chiefs

Las Vegas Raiders

New York Giants

  • Waived: RB Sandro Platzgummer

New York Jets

Washington Commanders

Nixon generated significant draft buzz after his college career at Iowa. His final season with the Hawkeyes in 2020 included 5.5 sacks and 13.5 tackles for loss, though he fell to the fifth round that year. He played sparingly as a rookie, and has met injury troubles early in his pro career. Despite the move, Carolina has a number of options to call on in a rotational role behind Derrick Brown and Matt Ioannidis. 

The roster cutting by the Bengals was necessary with today being the time at which Bates’ time on the Commissioner’s Exempt List expired. The franchise-tagged safety was the final holdout of the 2022 offseason, inking his tender long past the deadline for a long-term deal to be finalized. Fully back to team practices and activities, Bates’ time on the list allowed him to ramp up at his own rate following a lengthy absence throughout the spring and summer.

Lancaster was one of several additions the Raiders made on the d-line during free agency. The former UDFA spent the first four years of his career in Green Bay, registering 10 starts in 2019. Other signings such as Bilal Nichols and Andrew Billings will see plenty of playing time along the defensive interior in his absence.

Jets Cut Roster Down To 53

August 30th, 2022 at 9:49pm CST by Ely Allen

The Jets got a head start on reducing the roster yesterday, finishing the job with a number of moves today. Here are those moves that brought them down to 53 players:

Released:

Waived:

Placed on reserve/injured:

New York has done a good job with their rookie class with every drafted rookie making the final 53. The Jets even were able to find spots on the roster for two of the six undrafted free agents they signed. Running back Zonovan Knight and safety Tony Adams will start the season on the roster after going undrafted out of NC State and Illinois, respectively.

The Jets will enter the season with three quarterbacks on the roster as second-year quarterback Zach Wilson will be backed up by veterans Joe Flacco and Mike White.

Lawrence Cager returned this offseason to the team that signed him after going undrafted out of Georgia in 2020. After spending two seasons attempting to make rosters as a wide receiver, the 6-foot-5 Cager bulked up in an attempt to transition to tight end. It appears that the position change is working so far as Cager will start the season on an active roster for the first time in his career.

New York will have a chance to make moves necessary to form their 16-man practice squad tomorrow. Any players cut today who have not vested will have to clear waivers before returning to the Jets.

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