Patriots kickoff 2016: A look at E.J. Biggers
Today marks 39 days until the New England Patriots open 2016, so we’re taking a closer look at the owner of the No. 39 jersey, veteran cornerback E.J. Biggers.
Size: 6-foot, 185 pounds
College: Western Michigan
NFL experience: Seven seasons
2015 stats: 39 tackles, seven passes defended
Selected by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the seventh round of the 2009 NFL Draft, Biggers’ pro career has recovered since an injury-deleted rookie year. After playing 45 games for the Buccaneers in 2010-2012, the Western Michigan product spun over to the nation’s capital for two years before spending the 2015 season with the Philadelphia Eagles.
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Despite not getting his mitts on an interception, Biggers put forth his best year as a pro in 2015. He appeared in all 16 games for the Eagles (starting three), providing solid slot coverage and versatility as a depth safety. Biggers was one of the more valuable members of the Philly secondary last year.
Recent installments in the series:
41 days – No. 41 Cedric Thompson
42 days – No. 42 Vinnie Sunseri
Now playing for an AFC team for the first time in his career, Biggers has been perhaps the most overlooked member of the Patriots’ cornerback corps entering and now during training camp. His name hasn’t come up much in blogs or the interwebs in general since his signing back in May. In fact, this writer has been one of the few voices out there talking about Biggers.
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In my view, Biggers is a player the Patriots could really benefit from having in their secondary. Not only is he an experienced slot corner, but he is also taller than any other Patriots cornerback at 6-foot; he also provides ability as a safety, so that could be handy in the event that Devin McCourty goes down with an injury.
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Biggers will have to fend off the likes of Darryl Roberts, Justin Coleman and the three undrafted rookie corners V’Angelo Bentley, Jonathan Jones and Cre’von Leblanc to make the final roster.
Next: Predicting Final Roster, Pre-Training Camp Edition
Be sure to stop by Musket Fire tomorrow morning as we mark 38 days until kickoff by profiling the owner of the No. 38 jersey, running back Brandon Bolden.