The New England Patriots are adding veteran insurance to their interior offensive line after injuries thinned out the depth chart.
Greg Van Roten has agreed to terms with the Patriots, according to the first report from Aaron Wilson of KPRC 2 Houston. The 36-year-old lineman visited for a free-agent workout earlier this month, and now he’s headed to Foxborough with 12 NFL seasons and 105 career starts behind him.
Van Roten spent the last two years with the New York Giants, where he handled work at both right guard and center. Over that stretch, the 6-foot-4, 295-pound blocker started 34 games and logged 2,275 offensive snaps.
For the Patriots, this becomes the ninth stop in Van Roten’s pro career, which began in 2012 after he entered the league as an undrafted free agent out of Penn. His NFL path has taken him through Green Bay, Seattle, Jacksonville, Carolina, the Jets, Buffalo and Las Vegas, and he also spent two years in the CFL.
The move comes after New England took hits along its backup interior line. Ben Brown, listed as the No. 4 behind the starting trio of Alijah Vera-Tucker, Jared Wilson and Mike Onwenu, was injured in the preseason opener against Indianapolis and is expected to miss multiple weeks.
Andrew Rupcich, who looked to be next in line, was then placed on injured reserve, even though his reported MCL sprain is not considered season-ending.
Against the Colts, the Patriots turned to Jacob Rizy and Mehki Butler to fill the spots. They also currently have James Hudson, JonDarius Morgan, and recently signed Darrian Dalcourt and Joe Michalski under contract at center and guard.
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Patriots Offensive Line Battle Just Took Another Early Turn
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One of the more notable developments was the addition of two first-year offensive linemen, a reminder that New England is still sorting through depth and competition up front. The same set of transactions also cleared room elsewhere on the roster, with a long snapper let go and a guard moved to injured reserve, leaving the Patriots with even more questions to answer as the preseason keeps moving. [Read more 🡒]