Here’s a list of every Patriots player to wear the No. 68 jersey number.
The Fourth of July fireworks mean we are only 68 days from the New England Patriots’ regular season opener against the Philadelphia Eagles on September 10.
So we’re continuing our countdown series by listing every Patriots player that has ever worn the No. 68 jersey number.
Former Navy standout offensive lineman Max Lane, who made the Patriots’ All-1990s Team, is one of the names on the list. Despite constantly being snubbed for NFL accolades, Lane was a reliable pass protector for the Patriots for seven seasons.
There have been many others that have followed in his footsteps and worn the No. 69 in New England. Today, we’re paying homage to every Patriots player that has ever worn the number.
The Lions signed Waddle as a priority free agent after the 2013 NFL draft. The former Texas Tech Red Raider started 24 of his 30 career games with the NFC North club.
In 2015, the Patriots picked up Waddle after the Lions injury-waived him in mid-December. The Columbus High School (Texas) product ended up bouncing back with seven starts over 31 game day activations with New England from 2015-18.
In 2019, the Bills signed Waddle to a one-year contract, but he never got to play as he sustained a quadriceps injury in training camp that landed him on injured reserve. Waddle has been out of football since.
Waddle getting a workout shows that new general manager Nick Caserio continues to go back to familiar talent wells to solve existing personnel issues.
The Buffalo Bills did plenty of roster tinkering over the past few months. In doing so, space has to be made for new additions.
NFL teams can only hold around 90 players on their rosters heading into training camp. Unfortunately, that leaves some players in the dust.
Now, that doesn’t mean the Bills won’t re-add some of these players, or perhaps another team comes in and picks them up. But at the time being, things are in a bit of a standstill.
Here’s a quick look at the couple players the Bills rostered last season that haven’t been signed by a team just yet:
2019: 0 games played Bills: 0 games played Career: 61 games played, 2018 PFF grade: 75th best tackle
Not much to breakdown here, unfortunately. The Bills added and added and added to their offensive line last season, hoping to find the right mix. Early in training camp, Waddle was taking reps with the depth players and he suffered a season-ending torn quadriceps injury in August.
Bills linebacker Maurice Alexander. Credit: Mark Konezny-USA TODAY Sports
LB Maurice Alexander
Age: 30
Stats
2019: 7 games played, 11 tackles Bills: 7 games played, 11 tackles Career: 57 games played, 134 tackles, 3 sacks, 5 passes defended, 2 interceptions
A special teamer mostly for the Bills in Maurice Alexander. The Bills added Tyler Matakevich, a free agent via the Steelers this offseason, which could spell Alexander’s end in Buffalo.
Julian Stanford #51 of the Buffalo Bills. (Photo by Tom Szczerbowski/Getty Images)
LB Julian Stanford
Age: 29
Stats
2019: 16 games played, 8 tackles Bills: 29 games played, 23 tackles, 1 pass defended Career: 88 games played, 92 tackles, 1 sack, 1 pass defended
Similar to Maurice Alexander, a big special teams role, but also a positive backup for Julian Stanford in the few times he’s had to spell Tremaine Edmunds. Via Matakevich and running back Taiwan Jones, it looks like the Bills want to move in a new direction in terms of their special teamers.
Bills strong safety Kurt Coleman. Credit: Sam Navarro-USA TODAY Sports
S Kurt Coleman
Age: 32
Stats
2019: 14 games played, 3 tackles Bills: 14 games played, 3 tackles Career: 146 games played, 554 tackles tackles, 36 passes defended, 2 sacks, 21 interceptions, 5 forced fumbles
Coleman was a staple on the Bills roster as a special teamer in 2019. He has some defensive experience while in Carolina from 2014-2017, playing under Sean McDermott then. That’s an overlying reason the Bills sign plenty of players. Buffalo didn’t massively address their safety room this offseason, but did sign two UDFA safeties in Garrett Taylor and Josh Thomas, so it appears they want to get younger here.
Bills defensive tackle Corey Liuget. Credit: Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports
DT Corey Liuget
Age: 30
2019: 10 games played, 13 tackles, 5 tackles for loss, 1 sack Bills: 7 games played, 4 tackles for loss, 1 sack Career: 118 games played, 287 tackles, 64 tackles for loss, 25 sacks, 5 forced fumbles, 20 passes defender
A mid-season addition for the Bills, Corey Liuget played a depth role in Buffalo’s defensive line. Of all the team’s free agents still on the market, it wouldn’t be surprising to see the former first-round pick added at a later date, depending on how thing shake down. Quinton Jefferson can play on the inside of the line, but if a camp injury pops up, there could be a spot for Liuget.
