New England Patriots add five players via free agency on Friday
The New England Patriots addressed needs at receiver, tight end, defensive tackle, and on special teams by adding five new players in free agency on Friday.
They might not be making any dazzling, high-profile moves in free agency so far this offseason, but the New England Patriots are doing the smart thing and adding depth at several key areas of need. On Friday, they signed five new free agent players to the team, all on modest, cap-friendly contracts.
With wide receiver being arguably New England’s largest hole to fill this spring and summer, the team took steps towards replacing the departed Cordarrelle Patterson and the suspended Josh Gordon by adding Bruce Ellington and Maurice Harris.
Ellington is a former fourth-round draft pick out of the University of South Carolina. He played two seasons in San Francisco with the 49ers before stints with the Houston Texans and the Detroit Lions. In four professional seasons (Ellington missed all of 2016 on injured reserve), Ellington has racked up 769 yards receiving and five touchdowns.
While those numbers are far from satisfactory or encouraging, it’s hoped that a change of scenery and proper coaching could coax more potential from Ellington. He also has some experience returning kicks and punts, so he could inherit some of Patterson’s workload theoretically on special teams as well.
Harris spent three seasons in Washington before joining the Patriots. While he only played in 16 games during his first two years in the NFL, he did carve out a greater role for himself last year with the Redskins thirsty for wideout production. Harris finished 2017 with 28 receptions on 47 targets for 304 yards.
As Zack Cox of NESN notes, Harris has just one drop in 61 career targets. Granted, he hasn’t had a boatload of playing time or significant snaps, either, but it’s still a valuable statistic to measure when it comes to reliability.
Mike Pennel and Terrence Brooks are both former New York Jets. Pennel figures to compete with Adam Butler, David Parry, and Danny Shelton (if Shelton stays in New England) for the vacant nose tackle spot left open by Malcom Brown’s departure to New Orleans. Brooks is a safety with five years of experience spent amongst three different NFL teams; he figures to make most of his contributions on special teams, provided he makes the final roster.
Next. Tom Brady freaks out fans with new Instagram skiing video. dark
Finally, Matt LaCosse comes on board as a tight end from the Denver Broncos. Pressed into starting duty last year after injuries derailed Jake Butt and Jeff Heuerman, LaCosse finished 2018 with 24 receptions on 37 targets for 250 yards and a touchdown. His addition to the New England roster might obviously be seen as another layer of insurance at the position should Rob Gronkowski decide to retire this offseason.