Patriots Daily
Patriots Daily: Tucker Addington In; Jake Andrews to IR
There is only one day until the New England Patriots begin their preseason schedule against the Carolina Panthers. Are the Patriots ready to play against another team? Honestly, no team seems to be at this point in the season. New England hosts Carolina just a week after first practicing with pads.
Head coach Jerod Mayo stated, “Everyone who is healthy enough to play in the game will play in the game.” This is surprising if accurate. Based on the full contact practice on Monday, New England sitting starters seemed likely. However, Mayo states that everyone healthy will play. Now it’s just a matter of finding out who is deemed healthy enough to play.
Newest New England Patriot: Tucker Addington
The Patriots announced another transaction yesterday. They signed long snapper Tucker Addington to the 90-man roster. Incumbent Joe Cardona remains on the roster with no reported injury. Is there a legitimate long snapper competition in Foxboro? Cardona struggled at times in 2023 but finished the year well. He is the longest-tenured Patriots player, along with David Andrews.
Addington played collegiately at Sam Houston State. He went undrafted in 2020 and was out of football for two seasons. He returned in 2022, signing with the USFL’s Houston Gamblers. The Dallas Cowboys signed him to their practice squad to compete for their long snapper job, but Addington lost out and was waived after a week.
New England signed Tucker Addington as a replacement for Joe Cardona for the final three games of the 2022 season. He re-emerged in 2023, signing with the Jacksonville Jaguars practice squad. He ended up with the Washington Commanders, playing three games for them. At 6-foot-2 and 230 pounds, Addington is not equipped to play anywhere other than long snapper. It will be interesting to see what this means for his second stint in New England and for Cardona. Stay tuned.
Season Over for Jake Andrews
New England used a fourth-round draft pick (No. 107 overall) in the 2023 NFL Draft to take Andrews. Jake Andrews was drafted as a center and viewed as a future replacement for David Andrews. He appeared in 16 games for the Patriots as a rookie, though saw limited snaps. He played 70 downs on offense and another 50 on special teams. The Patriots expected Jake Andrews to compete for a reserve interior offensive line roster spot.
The cause of Andrews’ injury is unknown. With him out, Nick Leverett took the lead for the second center job. Atonio Mafi received time there as well. New England is carrying UDFA center Charles Turner in camp too. Unfortunately for Jake Andrews, it is a season-ending IR spot, ending his 2024 campaign before it began.
Also in Wednesday’s Patriots Daily:
Patriots Fact of the Day
Tucker Addington is the only New England Patriots player to have attended Sam Houston State. His six NFL games still leave him far of the school record of 144. Michael Bankston, who played for the Cardinals and Bengals, holds that distinction.
Post of the Day
The greatest New England Patriots player of them all meets up with three Boston Celtics NBA Champions at the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris:
— Jayson Tatum (@jaytatum0) August 5, 2024
Patriots Football Now Coverage
Patriots 90-Man Roster Spotlight: Jalen Reagor – The Philadelphia Eagles selected Reagor over several future NFL star receivers in 2020. After a stop in Minnesota, Reagor landed with New England. How does the wide receiver and kickoff returner feature into the team’s roster plans for 2024?
Should Mayo Have Announced Patriots Starting QB Before Camp? – Jacoby Brissett looks to be the Patriots starting quarterback headed into the 2024 NFL season. If this was known before training camp, should Jerod Mayo have let it be known? This currently scenario seems to have set rookie Drake Maye up for avoidable scrutiny.
Aiyuk Rumors Could Create Unhappy Campers in New England – Many were excited when the New England Patriots were rumored to be trading for Brandon Aiyuk. It is unlikely two Patriots players were among them. For different reasons, Kendrick Bourne and Matthew Judon may not have taken the news well.
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