Report: Potential Offensive Line Swap for New England

The New England Patriots are reportedly close to adding a new offensive lineman to the mix in training camp. ESPN’s Mike Reiss reports that the Patriots are bringing in Kellen Diesch and are expected to sign him. The Patriots do not have any open spots on their 90-man roster at the moment, so would need to make a corresponding move. Tyrone Wheatley Jr. was not present at practice yesterday, leading to speculation that he could be the odd man out.

Kellen Diesch played college football for both Texas A&M (2017-2019) and Arizona State (2020-2021). He went undrafted in the 2022 NFL Draft. Diesch has spent time with four NFL franchises but has yet to appear in an NFL game. Diesch measures over 6-foot-7 and weighs 300 pounds. He spent the 2023 season with the Pittsburgh Steelers practice squad.

Nothing is official at this time, so saying goodbye to Tyrone Wheatley Jr. is still premature.

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The Patriots traded for Wheatley before the final roster cutdowns to 53 last season. They sent running back Pierre Strongto the Cleveland Browns in the swap. At the time Bill Belichick said that Wheatley could play both tackle and guard.

Wheatley dressed for the first two games of the season but played a total of just five special teams snaps. He was then inactive for each of the next three games. Before Week 6, New England placed him on injured reserve with a knee injury. He did not play again in 2023. There was hope that Wheatley would excel in camp after being reunited with offensive line coach Scott Peters, whom he worked with in Cleveland.

Patriots Football Now will provides updates if the New England Patriots finalize the transaction.