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A former member of the New Orleans Saints is on the move. AL.com’s Matt Zenitz reported that Vinnie Sunseri, a 2014 fifth-round draft pick by the Saints, was hired by the New England Patriots in a support staff role. Sunseri spent the 2019 season as a graduate assistant at Alabama, his alma mater. He’s now reunited with Patriots coach Bill Belichick, who took a flyer on Sunseri after the Saints cut him in 2016.
Sunseri was known for his special teams aptitude in college, and primarily tried out there for New Orleans. But the same injury issues that dogged him at Alabama continued into the NFL, with each of his first two seasons ending on the injured reserve list. He competed at the 2016 training camp with the Patriots and made a cameo with the San Francisco 49ers late in that season, but hadn’t played a down since San Francisco waived him during 2017 roster cuts.
He’ll presumably take the Joe Judge path to his future as a head coach, helping out with Belichick’s storied special teams department and diligently climbing the ladder. Sunseri’s father is an accomplished assistant coach in his own right and currently works with linebackers at Alabama, so this side of the ball isn’t new to him. It’s just a shame things didn’t work out for him in New Orleans.
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