The New England Patriots are giving another undrafted rookie a chance to make a late push for a roster spot.
New England announced on Aug. 7 that it signed safety Eric Butler and released defensive tackle David Blay Jr.
The transaction adds another defensive back to the mix with the Patriots approaching their preseason opener against the Indianapolis Colts on Aug. 13.
Butler comes to Foxborough with experience at safety and on special teams after recording 119 tackles over four seasons at San Diego State.
For Blay, the move ends a short stay with the Patriots after he signed as an undrafted free agent in May and battled for a place in a crowded defensive tackle room throughout the summer.
Butler's signing didn't come out of nowhere.
The Patriots worked out Butler and fellow safety Tysheem Johnson on July 31 after creating an opening on the roster.
Butler went undrafted in the 2026 NFL draft and previously participated in rookie minicamps with the Las Vegas Raiders and New Orleans Saints before getting his opportunity with New England.
At 6-foot-2 and 195 pounds, Butler appeared in 48 games during his college career. The Patriots credited him with 119 tackles, one sack, one forced fumble and an interception that he returned for a touchdown. He also blocked two punts.
Those special-teams numbers could be important as Butler tries to make up ground late in training camp.
Butler earned honorable mention All-Mountain West honors following the 2024 season, when he started 11 games and finished with 47 tackles. His lone career interception came that year against Wyoming, and he returned it 43 yards for a touchdown.
He followed that performance with 40 tackles and six passes defended during his final season, according to ESPN.
With roster cuts approaching, Butler will have limited time to make an impression. His experience covering kicks and punts gives the Patriots another area to evaluate beyond his work in the secondary.
Blay entered the offseason as one of the more intriguing undrafted additions to New England's defensive line.
The Patriots signed Blay on May 8 after he spent his college career at West Chester, Louisiana Tech and Miami .
Across 46 college games, Blay totaled 129 tackles, 11.5 sacks, one pass defended and one forced fumble. He recorded 6.5 sacks during the 2024 season at Louisiana Tech before transferring to Miami for his final college season.
New England's own training camp position preview placed Blay in a deep defensive tackle group led by Christian Barmore and Milton Williams .
Blay then missed time during training camp before returning to full participation earlier this week, per Pats Pulpit .
His path became even tighter after New England added defensive tackle Casey Rogers during camp. With established options at the top of the depth chart and several players competing for reserve snaps, the Patriots continued reshaping the bottom of the position group.
Butler now gets his own opportunity to make a late run.
With the preseason beginning next week, his special-teams background could give him a quick way to get noticed.
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