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New England Patriots: Division rival takes chance on Antonio Garcia

By Nick Ziegler

DENVER, CO - DECEMBER 10: Head coach Todd Bowles of the New York Jets walks on the field after the Denver Broncos 23-0 win at Sports Authority Field at Mile High on December 10, 2017 in Denver, Colorado. (Photo by Justin Edmonds/Getty Images)
DENVER, CO - DECEMBER 10: Head coach Todd Bowles of the New York Jets walks on the field after the Denver Broncos 23-0 win at Sports Authority Field at Mile High on December 10, 2017 in Denver, Colorado. (Photo by Justin Edmonds/Getty Images) /
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After recently releasing Antonio Garcia, the New England Patriots might be seeing him line up for the New York Jets.

The New England Patriots had a very quiet 2017 NFL Draft, as they shockingly didn’t have too many draft picks. However, one of them was left tackle Antonio Garcia. The Patriots selected Garcia in the third round, but he was unfortunately never able to suit up for them.

Due to blood clots in his lungs, Garcia missed the entire 2017 season for the Patriots. When the Patriots drafted him, they certainly had hopes that Garcia could be the left tackle of the future in New England.

With Nate Solder being a free agent at the end of last season, the Patriots likely knew that it was going to be very costly to keep him. Having a pass blocker the caliber of Garcia behind him would have been a good start for looking at possible replacements.

However, the Patriots recently decided to release Garcia with a non-football injury designation. Just a few days later, the Jets have now reportedly claimed him off waivers.

As a former third-round pick, the Jets are taking a chance here and hoping that he can recover from the blood clots and begin his NFL career. Since the Jets are looking toward the future with their rookie quarterback Sam Darnold, taking chances like this make a lot of sense for them.

For the Patriots, they did a lot during the NFL Draft to give themselves some options at left tackle. In the first round, they selected Isaiah Wynn, who they announced as a tackle and believe that is where he will be playing in the NFL. Also, they traded for Trent Brown from the 49ers. While Brown was a right tackle in San Francisco, the Patriots might give him a chance to see what he can do on the left side. In addition to those two, the Patriots also have LaAdrian Waddle coming back.

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Hopefully, Garcia is able to have a full recovery and make his NFL dream come true. As a player with a lot of potential, Garcia might end up being a steal for the Jets or another team down the road.

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