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The New England Patriots have signed a veteran to provide depth on their offensive line. He’s a familiar face to the team, and one promising young player in particular.
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The Patriots Sign Ben Braden
On Monday, the Patriots signed former New York Jets offensive lineman Ben Braden. The 6’6″ 320-pound Braden is a guard who played college football at Michigan where he and current Patriot Chase Winovich were teammates in 2014 and 2015.
Braden was on the Jets’ roster in 2018-19, but he saw limited action in both seasons. However, he could potentially see the field a lot more with the Patriots. New England has lost offensive linemen in a variety of ways during the offseason.
Starting right tackle Marcus, a cancer survivor, chose to opt-out of the 2020 NFL season due to concerns about the complications of COVID-19.
Last week, seventh-round-pick Dustin Woodard shockingly chose to retire from football before padded practices got underway. According to multiple reports, COVID-19 wasn’t a factor in his decision.
According to ESPN’s Mike Reiss, Braden was at practice on Monday, and he has been assigned No. 62 uniform number.
What About Right Tackle?
The RT position that was vacated when Cannon opted-out is of the greatest concern for the Patriots’ O-line. Jermaine Eluemunor has been working out there in camp along with Hjalte Froholdt. Eluemunor was originally thought to be a player who could add depth at guard behind Joe Thuney and Shaq Mason, but if he slides over to start at right tackle, there is another valuable depth position available. That is likely where Braden fits in with the team. The team has only practiced with pads once, but the start of the season is less than a month away, so things are getting serious.
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Patriots Sign Chase Winovich’s Massive College Teammate