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Just one day after announcing they had signed former Denver Broncos defensive tackle Mike Purcell on August 1, the New England Patriots tweaked their roster further, announcing they had also added offensive tackle Kellen Diesch and safety A.J. Thomas.
In order to make room on the roster for the newest additions, the Pats released tackle Tyrone Wheatley Jr. and running back Deshaun Fenwick.
Wheatley appeared in two games for the Partiots last season, playing just five snaps, all of which came on special teams.
Fenwick signed with New England as an undrafted free agent out of Oregon State in May of 2024. He was competing for depth among a running backs room that now consists of Rhamondre Stevenson, Antonio Gibson, JaMycal Hasty, Terrell Jennings and Kevin Harris.
A Bit of Background on Newest Patriots’ Signings Mike Purcell, Kellen Diesch & A.J. Thomas
Purcell, 33, is easily the most experienced of New England’s new trio of players. The 6-foot-3, 328-pound DT started 37 games for the Denver Broncos over his last five seasons. He played at least 43% of Denver’s defensive snaps every year, so he should have a solid rotational role in DeMarcus Covington’s defense.
In 16 games (10 starts) last season, Purcell amassed 25 tackles (one for loss), five quarterback hits, three passes defensed and a fumble recovery.
Both Diesch and Thomas spent time with the Chicago Bears at the start of their careers. An undrafted rookie out of Arizona State in 2022, Diesch spent his rookie campaign on Chicago’s practice squad. He landed in Pittsburgh the following year, where he played on the Steelers‘ PS for the 2023 season.
At 6’7″ and 300 pounds, the 24-year-old Diesch is a massive specimen, albeit an inexperienced one. He has yet to play in an NFL game.
Thomas, who turns 25 in September, is a tad more experienced. He signed with the Bears as an UDFA in 2022. After spending time on the practice squad, he was elevated to the active roster for five games that year, finishing with four tackles.
He spent a few months on Chicago’s practice squad again in 2023, eventually appearing in one game before ultimately getting released. Thomas landed with the Birmingham Stallions of the United Football League (UFL) in 2024, where he tied for the league with three interceptions.
Patriots Gearing Up for 1st Preseason Game vs. Carolina Panthers
It’s possible we’ll see all three players in action when the Patriots kick their 2024 preseason off against the Carolina Panthers on August 8.
“We’re still having those conversations,” Pats first-year head coach Jerod Mayo said on August 3. “Maybe all of the starters will play. I’m not sure at this present time. We’ll see how we do today and how the guys present the following next couple of days. We’ll have a lot of guys play.”
Mayo also revealed his team’s priorities heading into the preseason.
“The first preseason game is a very basic game,” Mayo said. “It’s all about fundamentals, running, tackling, all those things. That’s the most important thing. We’re not going to game plan against our first preseason game. We just won’t do it. If they want to game plan against us, that’s fine, but we need to be able to go out there and run our basic fundamental calls and run them at a high level.”
“It’s a dress rehearsal for us and it’s a dress rehearsal during the game for all of the coaches as well, who’s on the headsets and things like that,” Mayo added.
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