Patriots Daily: Steelers Sign Calvin Anderson; More Ex-Pats Moves

Former New England Patriots offensive tackle Calvin Anderson has found a new NFL home. The veteran signed with the Pittsburgh Steelers on Tuesday. It was one of six moves involving former Patriots players among yesterday’s NFL transactions.

Anderson joins a 3-0 Steelers team needing tackle depth. Pittsburgh rookie Troy Fautanu suffered a season-ending knee injury. The 2024 first-round pick dislocated his kneecap, causing ligament damage in practice last Friday. Anderson will serve as a backup swing tackle behind Steelers’ starters Dan Moore Jr. and Broderick Jones.

New England signed Calvin Anderson during free agency in 2023. Anderson dealt with health issues in 2023 and his performance suffered when he was available. This year, Anderson opened training camp as the right tackle with the first unit. However, he was moved down the depth chart when Chukwuma Okorafor was moved over from the left side. Anderson was originally placed on IR by New England but was eventually released after a settlement. He can now start fresh with a contender in a new home.

Indianapolis Adds Two Ex-Pats to Practice Squad

The Indianapolis Colts added two former New England players to their practice squad. DT Josiah Bronson and DE Derek Rivers agreed to join the Colts.

Josiah Bronson signed with the Patriots on July 28. He was with the team through training camp but was among the final cuts. He plays defensive tackle primarily but can play defensive end. Bronson gives Indianapolis some veteran depth and versatility for the defensive front on the practice squad.

The Patriots drafted Derek Rivers with their first pick (Round 3, No. 83 overall) in the 2017 NFL Draft. Unfortunately, he could not stay healthy in New England, appearing in only 14 games over three-plus seasons. He did win a title with the Patriots as part of the Super Bowl 53 Champions in 2018. Rivers has since played for the Rams and Texans. He was with the Colts during part of training camp this year.

Three Former New England Players Released

Not all the news for former New England Patriots was positive on Tuesday’s transaction wire. FB Jakob Johnson (Giants), TE Johnny Lumpkin (Packers), and Matt Sokol (Steelers) were released.

More in today’s Patriots Daily:

Patriots Fact/Trivia of the Day

Calvin Anderson played only five games for the New England Patriots, two on offense. There are four offensive tackles in franchise history to play over 100 games at tackle for the Patriots: Bruce Armstrong, Matt Light, Marcus Cannon, and Nate Solder.

Posts of the Day

Shoutout to the social media teams with the Green Bay Packers…

Grab your popcorn pic.twitter.com/vBaesQh3z8

— Green Bay Packers (@packers) September 20, 2024

and Cleveland Browns:

we had the guys sign old photos of themselves and their reactions were amazing 🤣 pic.twitter.com/LPffvB8FpC

— Cleveland Browns (@Browns) September 20, 2024

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