The New England Patriots have turned to a known corner of Massachusetts for help at a position suddenly short on healthy bodies.
New England signed outside linebacker Benton Whitley to its practice squad Wednesday, Sept. 23, bringing the Springfield native back to his home state.
Whitley starred at Holy Cross in Worcester before embarking on an NFL career that has brought him across the country.
Head coach Mike Vrabel said Wednesday that Dre’Mont Jones and Quintayvious Hutchins were unlikely to do much at practice. Jones hurt his shoulder in Sunday’s win over the Pittsburgh Steelers, leaving New England to sort through its options on the edge before a trip to Jacksonville.
Whitley’s deal is a practice squad signing, so it doesn’t put him on Sunday’s active roster. It does give the Patriots an outside linebacker to work with while they await clarity on two injured players.
Whitley’s Long Route Back to Massachusetts
Whitley, 27, is listed by the Patriots at 6-foot-3 and 255 pounds. He entered the league as an undrafted free agent with the Los Angeles Rams in 2022. Since then, his stops have included the Kansas City Chiefs, Minnesota Vikings, New York Giants, Arizona Cardinals and Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He spent this summer with the Cleveland Browns, who waived him Aug. 26.
His pro action is brief on game days: six regular-season appearances, one fumble recovery and one pass defended, per the Patriots’ account of his career. Most of his NFL time has been spent competing for roster spots or working on practice squads.
At Holy Cross, Whitley gave coaches more to work with. The defensive end earned first-team All-Patriot League honors three times and finished with 16 sacks and 27 tackles for loss. His senior season brought 49 tackles, 11.5 tackles for loss and 5.5 sacks as the Crusaders won the third of three straight conference titles during his tenure, per the school.
Holy Cross also gave him its Cooney Award, which recognizes a senior athlete for courage, loyalty and dedication. Beyond football, he volunteered with the Alex’s Lemonade Stand Foundation and worked as an undergraduate research assistant in a virology and immunology lab.
Patriots’ Edge Injuries Create an Opening
New England’s Wednesday roster moves connected Whitley’s arrival to another outside linebacker’s promotion. The Patriots moved Jose Ramirez from the practice squad to the 53-man roster after placing safety Dell Pettus on injured reserve. Whitley filled the resulting practice squad vacancy.
The injuries at his position make the addition more relevant than the transaction alone suggests. Vrabel told reporters that Jones was working to return and that the team would reassess him later in the week. The coach also expected Hutchins to do little Wednesday. Neither update settled whether either player would be available against the Jacksonville Jaguars on Sunday.
The Patriots have seen younger edge defenders answer a call. In the 20-3 win over Pittsburgh, Christian Barmore forced a fumble on a sack, and Elijah Ponder recovered it for a 19-yard touchdown, the team noted in its game preview. New England has six sacks through two games and has allowed just 16 points.
Whitley is joining that group from a different starting point, so he will first have to learn the defense and earn practice reps.
If the injuries linger, the Springfield product’s next shot could hit closer to home than any of the previous ones.
Patriots Sign Massachusetts Native, 3-Time All-Conference Pass Rusher Amid Edge Injuries