Bill Belichick, New England Patriots
Beating the New York Jets for the second time this season wasn’t enough for the New England Patriots. Bill Belichick and Co. had to go and sign a veteran offensive lineman off their practice squad too.
Per ESPN’s Field Yates, the Patriots (a team with an offensive line with several injuries) signed 30-year-old Connor McDermott off the Jets practice squad to add depth heading into New England’s Thanksgiving Day battle with the Minnesota Vikings.
The Patriots have signed OT Conor McDermott off of the Jets’ practice squad, per source.
McDermott entered the NFL as a 2017 sixth-round pick of the Patriots.
After logging one snap for the Jets this past Sunday against the Patriots, he now re-joins his original team.
McDermott was originally drafted by the Patriots in 2017. New England selected McDermott with the 211th pick overall in the sixth round of that year. McDermott’s size rivals Trent Brown. The UCLA product stands 6-foot-8 and weighs 305 pounds.
McDermott played 35 games with the Jets and made six starts with Gang Green. McDermott even caught a TD pass on a tackle-eligible play. Earlier this season, McDermott was elevated from the Jets’ practice squad to play against the Patriots in New England’s 22-17 Week 8 and 11 wins.
Since September, McDermott’s usage has ramped up. He’s played 76 snaps on offense and 29 on special teams. McDermott’s signing with New England comes at a time when the Patriots have multiple injury concerns on their offensive line.
Patriots Have Some Injury Issues on the Offensive Line
In the latest win over the Jets, Center David Andrews suffered a thigh injury but surprisingly returned to practice on Tuesday. We don’t know his status for Thursday yet, but his presence at practice was a good sign.
Offensive tackle Isaiah Wynn did not practice as he continues to suffer from a foot injury. Wynn has also been struggling all season. He’s gone from being benched at his right tackle spot to entering the game at guard and struggling on that front as well.
The Patriots had a roster spot open after taking the advice of The Boston Sports Journal’s Greg Bedard and waiving running back J.J Taylor. With Marcus Cannon on injured reserve and Wynn battling injury, there is a chance McDermott could see some duty.
Around the NFL: Jets’ Zach Wilson Has Been a Lot Worse Than Geno Smith
The Regulators Podcast posted an interesting stat regarding Jets second-year quarterback Zach Wilson and former Jet, current Seattle Seahawks signal-caller Geno Smith.
If Geno Smith took his next 150 snaps and just threw the ball into the stands, he would STILL have a higher passer rating than Zach Wilson. 👀
Smith has rejuvenated his career with the Seahawks after the Jets drafted him in the second round back in 2013. Smith was considered a bust, but he is having a career season with the surprisingly competitive Seahawks.
Smith and the Seahawks are 6-4, and he has a career and NFL-leading 72.8% completion percentage so far this season. Through 10 games, Smith has passed for 2,474 yards, just 572 yards short of his career-high with seven games to play, along with 17 TD passes and just four interceptions.
He is undoubtedly the leading candidate for the NFL Comeback Player of the Year award, and if Seattle makes it into the postseason, he deserves some MVP votes.
Meanwhile, Wilson hasn’t progressed much since his rookie season. While he has a 5-2 QB record, most of the winning can be attributed to the Jets’ stingy defense. They rank ninth and 10th in rushing and passing yards allowed per game, respectively.
Wilson has thrown just 4 TD passes to 5 interceptions, and his 55.6% completion percentage is identical to what he posted in 2021. Who would have expected these numbers from these two guys at the start of the season?
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Patriots Poach Veteran From Jets Amidst Sea of Injuries