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Meet the Newest New England Patriots: Jones and McCarroll

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Patriots executive Eliot Wolf (photo courtesy of the New England Patriots X account)

Monday’s Patriots Daily noted the two open spots on the New England Patriots 90-man roster. Eliot Wolf and Jerod Mayo have preached they are always looking to improve the roster, but it was unclear if anyone would be added since cutdowns to a 53-man roster take place next week. However, New England filled both spots on Tuesday, signing linebackers Kobe Jones and Christian McCarroll.



Meet the newest Patriots:

Kobe Jones

Jones played defensive end at Mississippi State and projects as an edge defender. The Patriots traded Matthew Judon last week and Oshane Ximines was injured in their preseason game against the Eagles. This left New England shorthanded further at a spot where they lacked depth.

Kobe Jones played 42 career games for the Bulldogs. He recorded 102 tackles (42 solo), 22 TFL, and 7.0 sacks. After going undrafted in the 2021 NFL Draft, Jones signed as an undrafted free agent with the Atlanta Falcons but was released before the 53-man roster was set. He has since spent time on the practice squads of the Miami Dolphins, Tennessee Titans, Green Bay Packers, and Carolina Panthers. While with the Packers, Jones worked with current Patriots defensive line coach Jerry Montgomery.

The Hamilton Tiger-Cats of the Canadian Football League signed Jones on May 13, 2024. He appeared in six CFL games, registering three tackles and a sack. Hamilton released Jones earlier this month.

Christian McCarroll

McCarroll played collegiately in Division 2 for Grand Valley State, the same school that produced Matthew Judon. He was dominant, twice earning conference Defensive Lineman of the Year. McCarroll was a finalist for the Cliff Harris Award as the Small School Defensive Player of the Year. New England Patriots Kyle Dugger and Sam Roberts are among the award’s previous winners.

Christian McCarroll finished his college career with 151 tackles (50 solo), 31.5 tackles for a loss, and 15.0 sacks. He recorded a career-high 8.0 in 2023 He was named a D2 Consensus All-American.

McCarroll attended rookie minicamp with the Indianapolis Colts but was not in training camp until signing with the New England Patriots.

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