Tag: Malik Gant

42 days till Patriots season opener: Every player to wear No. 42 for New England

Here’s a list of every Patriots player to wear the No. 42 jersey number

With the first week of training camp in the rearview, the New England Patriots are officially 42 days away from their September 10 season opener against the Philadelphia Eagles.

So we’re continuing our countdown series by listing every Patriots player that has ever worn the No. 42 jersey.

Veteran running back J.J. Taylor is the current owner of the jersey. He joined the Patriots as an undrafted rookie in 2020, and he has managed to stick around predominantly as a member of the practice squad.

There have been a total of 11 players that have worn the No. 42 for the Patriots, including All-1980s Team member Ronnie Lippett, who spent eight seasons as one of the foundational pieces in the secondary.

Here’s every player, along with Lippett and Taylor, that has worn the number throughout franchise history (via Pro Football Reference):

Patriots release RB Tyler Gaffney, sign DB Malik Gant

The Patriots made some room for a familiar face in Malik Gant.

The New England Patriots released running back Tyler Gaffney on Tuesday to make room and sign defensive back Malik Gant.

Gaffney had multiple short stints with the Patriots and he was brought on this offseason to provide depth during practice. The Patriots are now healthy at running back with Sony Michel, Damien Harris, James White, Rhamondre Stevenson, JJ Taylor and Brandon Bolden available.

Gant was signed by the Patriots as an undrafted free agent in 2019, but he was injured and in the preseason spent the season on the injured reserve list — eventually being released in July of 2020. He’s 6-foot-3, 203 pound and provides an extra body at the position heading into the preseason this year.

The Patriots’ first preseason matchup is on Thursday against the Washington Football Team.

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