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On Sunday, the New England Patriots made a bevy of roster moves as the task of building a strong 53-man roster ahead of the regular season continues.
New England officially added linebacker Brandon King to the injured reserve list and waived defensive end Keionta Davis with an injury designation. In their place, the Patriots added linebacker Scooby Wright and running back Robert Martin.
The move to sign Wright was hinted at last night and confirmed earlier today by Anthony Gimino of AllSportsTucson. It was a big 24 hours for the linebacker who also got engaged last night.
Robert Martin, meanwhile, is a surprise addition to the Patriots’ roster given their depth at the running back position. His signing was first reported by ESPN’s Mike Reiss.
Davis spent two seasons with New England recording six tackles. He was on injured reserve his entire rookie season but impressed enough during preseason last year to earn a spot on the 53-man roster out of preseason. In all, he played in six games recording as many tackles, three for a loss, along with two QB hits.
King, however, was lost to injury in the Patriots’ third preseason game, tearing his quad. He had his best year with the Patriots last year, recording 12 tackles. In 2017, he even recorded a safety on special teams against the Los Angeles Chargers.
New Faces
The new acquisitions, Scooby Wright and Robert Martin, have yet to make an impact in the NFL.
Wright had an incredible sophomore season at Arizona, recording 100 tackles, 31 for a loss, and 15 sacks. He was injured as a junior but still recorded two sacks in three games and declared for the 2016 NFL Draft.
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He was taken in the seventh round by the Cleveland Browns in 2016 and was placed on the practice squad. In December, his hometown Arizona Cardinals signed him off the practice squad. He played 13 games for the Cardinals, registering two tackles.
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GettyScooby Wright played for the Arizona Hotshots of the AAF.
After going unsigned in 2018, he latched on with the Arizona Hotshots of the AAF where he had 22 tackles.
A New Backfield Weapon
The other new acquisition is Robert Martin, a running back out of Rutgers who has yet to make an NFL roster. He was signed as an undrafted free agent in 2018 but was waived before the season.
Martin had a decent preseason in 2018, even showing strong outside ability with his first touchdown against the Lions.
He was signed to a reserve/futures deal in January of this year but was later waived in May by the Giants.
The Patriots are taking a chance on Martin having had success with various former Rutgers players in the past. With five running backs looking safe to make the roster, the Patriots are looking for a player to help push the competition in the final week of preseason.
Aside from Sony Michel, James White, Rex Burkhead, Brandon Bolden, and Damien Harris, Nick Brossette is the lone option in the backfield. And given injury history with Michel and Burkhead coupled with Harris getting banged up against Carolina, some depth at the position can’t hurt.
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