Patriots kickoff 2016: A look at Chris Barker
The New England Patriots open 2016 in 64 days, so we’re taking a closer look at the owner of the No. 65 jersey, guard Chris Barker.
Size: 6-foot-2, 310 pounds
College: Nevada
2015 stats: One game (no starts)
NFL experience: Three seasons
Hometown: Covina, California
You couldn’t count on one hand how many times Barker has been released and re-signed by the Patriots. A practice squad regular, Barker has only appeared in six regular season games for the Patriots since the team signed him at the beginning of the 2013 season.
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Barker entered the NFL as an undrafted free agent and spent the summer of 2013 with the Miami Dolphins. He nearly made it through the dog days of summer with the Dolphins, but he was cut at the tail end of training camp.
Recent installments in Patriots kick-off countdown profile series:
65 days – No. 65 Jonathan Cooper
65 days – No. 65 Anthony Johnson
Look, Barker may deserve credit for hanging around the Patriots’ facility for nearly three years now, but his days in New England are numbered. After watching their season fall apart as a result of haphazard interior offensive line depth, the Patriots are going to ensure they enter the 2016 regular season with one of the deeper guard groups in the NFL.
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To put it bluntly, there just isn’t enough room for Barker among a burgeoning group of talented guards. You have sophomore pros Tre’ Jackson and Shaq Mason; dependable Pats veteran Josh Kline; newcomer Jonathan Cooper looking to reboot his career; 2016 draft picks Joe Thuney and Ted Karras. To say Barker has his work cut out for him this summer would be an understatement.
Next: 10 most promising sophomore pros on Pats’ roster
Be sure to stop by Musket Fire tomorrow as we mark 63 days until the Patriots open 2016 by profiling the owner of the No. 63 jersey, guard Tre’ Jackson.