Patriots seventh-rounder unretiring is latest bizarre comeback story
By Jerry Trotta
Entering free agency, the New England Patriots were widely expected to replenish both their defensive line and pass-catching unit.
What fans weren’t expecting, however, was the offensive line to undergo as significant of a makeover as it did.
When the dust settled, the Patriots re-signed David Andrews, lost Joe Thuney to free agency, traded Marcus Cannon and re-acquired Trent Brown via trade.
New England also welcomed back Ted Karras, who started 15 games filling in for Andrews (blood clots) in 2019 and subsequently signed a one-year contract with Miami. The five-year pro isn’t flashy, but he’s a model of consistency and will provide much-needed depth off the bench.
As it turns out, however, the Patriots will be adding another center to the mix this offseason.
In a surprising turn of events, Dustin Woodard, a seventh-round pick in the 2020 NFL Draft who retired shortly after being drafted, has spurned retirement and will be reinstated to the active roster.
Patriots 2020 7th round pick Dustin Woodward - a Center out of Memphis that retired shortly after being drafted - has been reinstated to the active roster.
— Field Yates (@FieldYates) April 7, 2021
Patriots 2020 seventh-round pick Dustin Woodard is unretiring.
We were expecting the team’s opt-outs to return, sure, but this is getting ridiculous.
The Patriots have been an excellent source of content all offseason long, and fans can go ahead and add this bizarre comeback story to the laundry list.
Woodard was nabbed with the 230th overall pick last year after a fantastic college career with Memphis. He started 52 games for the Tigers and was utterly dominant in the trenches, but fell to the seventh round because he was considered undersized for the NFL.
At 6-2 and 292 pounds, that criticism was warranted, though it obviously hasn’t been validated as the young offensive lineman never played a snap as a rookie. In terms of what prompted Woodard to spurn retirement, that remains unclear at this point in time.
That, however, is likely to change once (or if) he speaks to reporters for the first time this offseason. It is worth noting, though, that the 23-year-old had the option to opt out last season due to COVID-19 and he apparently told people his decision had nothing to with the pandemic.
Dustin Woodard back on Patriots' roster after retiring prior to his rookie year. https://t.co/NVj33XCKMr
— ProFootballTalk (@ProFootballTalk) April 7, 2021
Nevertheless, Patriots fans should be thrilled that the team will be adding another quality offensive lineman to the training camp rotation.
Not only does Woodard have the requisite versatility to play both guard spots, but he started at center as a senior for Memphis, earning first- and second-team All American Athletic Conference honors in the process.
The former Tiger will have his work cut out for him just to make the active roster, but he clearly wouldn’t have unretired if he didn’t think he had a real shot at doing so.
