Story by
New England Patriots Sign Former Boston College Tight End Ahead of Training Camp
- Story by
- New England Patriots Sign Former Boston College Tight End Ahead of Training Camp
(Eric Canha)
CBS Sports' Mat Zenitz has reported that the New England Patriots have signed ex-Boston College tight end Jeremiah Franklin prior to training camp going into full swing this weekend.
This is not the first time this offseason that the Chestnut Hill product has made an appearance on the field in Foxborough. The undrafted free agent attended the Patriots' local pro day and would later return for rookie minicamp as a tryout player.
Franklin started for all 12 games for Boston College as a senior, catching 49 passes for 506 yards and two touchdowns. He appeared in 44 games as an Eagle, including 30 starts throughout his college career, ending with 93 receptions for 1,010 yards and six touchdowns.
Advertisement
Maybe things are not all said and done on his playing days, as he now has a shot at a 53-man roster spot over the next month.
Franklin's return to the Patriots practice field comes about 24 hours after the Patriots had made some moves on their roster that generated a ton of buzz. The Pats waived fullback Brock Lampe and signed linebacker Riley Wilson as well as tight end Mitch Van Vooren.
Both head coach Mike Vrabel and VP of Player Personnel Elliot Wolf know that having a tight end competition in training camp is imminent. The reason is the Patriots put their tight end Julian Hill on IR earlie r this offseason with a season-ending knee injury.
The former Miami Dolphin came to New England as a free agent and was expected to pick up reps as a blocking TE2 behind starter Hunter Henry this season. At the same time, rookie Eli Raridon is given a developmental path forward with the team since being drafted in the third round this year.
Advertisement
The Patriots' tight end room got even shakier this week when the team announced that up-and-coming tight end C.J. Dippre was placed on the physically unable to perform list (PUP list).
This leaves only Henry, Raridon, Tanner Arkin, and fullback Jack Westover in the mix to take some reps on the practice field at tight end.
Franklin now has a shot to work his way into the mix as well as the whistles blow on the first practice of training camp on Saturday morning.
Follow Tyler for more Patriots content
Check out the Patriots Roundtable Podcast and like and subscribe
Patriots Roundtable also offers a fan community and message board. We'd love to have you join us to talk all things Patriots. Click the "Join" button at the top of the page to join our community for free.
