- 3 hrs ago
BOSTON (AP) The Patriots have signed safety and 2021 sixth-round draft pick Joshuah Bledsoe and re-signed free agent quarterback Brian Hoyer.
The team announced the signings on Tuesday. New England also has released offensive lineman Najee Toran.
Bledsoe is the fourth member of the Patriots 2021 draft class to sign. He joins fifth-round linebacker Cameron McGrone, sixth-round offensive lineman Will Sherman, along with receiver Tre Nixon, who was taken in the seventh round.
Hoyer continues his third stint in New England after spending last season as one of Cam Newton s backups. He appeared in two games last season, starting one after Newton tested positive for COVID-19.
Patriots notebook: New QB Mac Jones already had respect of one New England linebacker
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Patriots Release Player Who Opted Out Of 2020 Season
FOXBORO, MA - DECEMBER 24: A New England Patriots helmet during the first half of the game between the New England Patriots and the Buffalo Bills at Gillette Stadium on December 24, 2017 in Foxboro, Massachusetts. (Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images)
With training camp just two months away, Bill Belichick and the New England Patriots are doing their best to put together a well-rounded roster. On Tuesday afternoon, the team decided to part ways with a veteran offensive lineman.
New England has waived offensive lineman Najee Toran this afternoon. He opted out of the 2020 season due to concerns regarding COVID-19.
Opt-outs return: 5
Coming off a 7-9 season in which they missed the playoffs for the first time since 2008, the Patriots needed an upgrade. Their financial flexibility (and aggressiveness) helped them do it. One team official opined that the result should allow the franchise to get back to a foundational principle of competition at all spots, which wasn t the case last season.
Here is a position-by-position snapshot of the roster:
Belichick made it clear, before he was even asked, that Newton is the starting quarterback. That doesn t mean Jones, the 15th overall pick, can t make a legitimate run for the job. It just seemed to be Belichick s way of taking some pressure off him. It shouldn t take long in training camp from the standpoint of the football coming out on time and in rhythm to see if Jones has a realistic chance to be a Day 1 starter.
TE: Jonnu Smith, Hunter Henry
LT: Isaiah Wynn, Justin Herron
LG: Mike Onwenu
RG: Shaquille Mason, Najee Toran
RT: Trent Brown, Yodny Cajuste
By Alabama standards, Jones was a relatively unheralded recruit. He arrived as a 3-star prospect in the class of 2017, per 247Sports composite rankings, and spent the beginning of his career backing up Tua Tagovailoa and Jalen Hurts.
However, he filled in for the injured Tagovailoa during the 2019 campaign and completed 68.8 percent of his passes for 1,503 yards, 14 touchdowns and three interceptions. He looked ready to become the full-time starter in 2020 when he finished that 2019 season by throwing for three touchdowns in a bowl win over Michigan.
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