Tag: Matt Sokol

Patriots make multiple late moves before Bills game

The Patriots made a slew of moves on Saturday, including putting wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster on injured reserve.

The New England Patriots made a slew of moves on Saturday, including putting veteran wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster on injured reserve.

It’s a tough end to an overall disappointing season for Smith-Schuster, who was initially brought in to be the replacement for Jakobi Meyers. Smith-Schuster had his best showing in his last outing as a Patriot, hauling in four passes for 90 yards against the Pittsburgh Steelers.

But he finished the season with only 29 total receptions for 260 yards and one touchdown. It was the worst season of Smith-Schuster’s NFL career, and it paled in comparison to what Meyers was able to do in his first season with the Las Vegas Raiders.

Along with putting Smith-Schuster on IR, the Patriots also announced they had signed safety Joshuah Bledsoe to the 53-man roster, along with elevating tight end Matt Sokol and offensive lineman Andrew Stueber ahead of Sunday’s game against the Buffalo Bills.

Injuries have clearly taken a toll on the Patriots’ roster. Now, they’re being forced to look even further down the depth chart to make up for it on the road against one of the NFL’s hottest teams.

[lawrence-auto-related count=3]

Former Michigan State football TE Matt Sokol impressing in New England Patriots training camp

Former MSU TE Matt Sokol has impressed at Patriots camp this summer:

Matt Sokol was a consistent mainstay at the tight end position for Michigan State from 2015-2018, securing 31 catches for 348 yards and two touchdowns. Now, Sokol is trying to make a career in the NFL, and seems to be doing a good job of it.

Sokol has bounced around several practice squads over the last four seasons but may have found a home in New England for the Patriots. Sokol found himself on the Pats active roster several times last season and it seems like the Patriots are taking a liking to Sokol’s talents.

Patriots beat reporter Taylor Kyles said that Sokol looked like the Patriots top blocking tight end this summer, a skill set that could work Sokol into the playing rotation.

Contact/Follow us @The SpartansWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Michigan State news, notes, and opinion. You can also follow Cory Linsner on Twitter @Cory_Linsner.

Leftover notes from Day 3 of Patriots training camp practice

Leftover notes from Patriots’ third day of practice

It was another day of non-padded red zone work for the New England Patriots in Day 3 of training camp on Friday.

Coach Bill Belichick has stayed true to his word that the team would emphasize that particular area with more of an extended OTAs feel to the first week of practice.

So those waiting to see how the new-look Patriots react to real football situations with the pads on will have to wait until next week. However, there were still things of note to take away from the team’s third day of practice, which seemed productive overall for both the defense and offense.

Here are some leftover notes from the practice:

Reading the room: Evaluating tight ends on Patriots’ roster

It’ll be the Hunter Henry and Mike Gesicki Show at tight end, but others could contribute at the position for the Patriots.

The New England Patriots have always loved their tight ends, and they doubled down at the position in 2021 by signing Hunter Henry and Jonnu Smith at the same time.

Fast forward to 2023, and Smith is in Atlanta, while the Patriots brought in Mike Gesicki as a replacement.

Offensive coordinator Bill O’Brien pioneered 12 personnel for the Patriots in his first stint with the team. He brought in Will Lawing, who has followed him in his previous stints, to coach the tight end position. There’s hope the two can work together to create a new gold standard at the position.

For now, here’s what things look like for the Patriots’ 2023 tight end group:

Patriots signed these 11 practice squad players to future contracts

The Patriots signed 11 practice squad players to future contracts.

Even though the season is over, Tuesday was still a busy day for the New England Patriots with the team signing 11 practice squad players to future contracts.

These might seem like no-big-deal signings to some, but as the Patriots learned in an injury-plagued 2022 season, there’s no such thing as a no-big-deal signing. They’ve had to lean heavily on their practice squad to help fill thinning positions on the roster throughout the year.

The team even went out and signed offensive tackle Conor McDermott off the New York Jets’ practice squad to help fill the void left after the injury to former first-round draft pick Isaiah Wynn.

So the ability to develop players that can potentially help the team when called upon is obviously a big deal.

With the future contracts, the names that didn’t make the list were veteran linebacker Jamie Collins, offensive lineman Bill Murray, wideout Lynn Bowden, kicker Tristan Vizcaino and quarterback Garrett Gilbert.

Here are the 11 players that made it.

Matt Sokol promoted to Patriots active roster

Matt Sokol will be suiting up for the Patriots against the Lions on Sunday

Former Michigan State tight end Matt Sokol has bounced around the NFL a little bit. Playing for the Los Angeles Chargers, and now getting an opportunity with the New England Patriots. One thing is clear, Sokol is developing and on the brink of getting an opportunity.

Amidst some injuries, Sokol has been elevated to the Patriots active roster for their game against the Detroit Lions on Sunday. Sokol had a good showing for the Patriots in the preseason, giving him the chance to make the active roster.

Contact/Follow us @The SpartansWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Michigan state news, notes, and opinion. You can also follow Cory Linsner on Twitter @Cory_Linsner.

 

WR Laquon Treadwell one of four practice players of the week for Patriots

The Patriots’ practice players of the week have been revealed

Former Jacksonville Jaguars receiver Laquon Treadwell is making himself at home with the New England Patriots. Per ESPN’s Mike Reiss, the former first-round draft pick was practicing in a black jersey on Wednesday, which indicates he’s one of the team’s practice players of the week.

Treadwell was actually coming off a career-season with the Jaguars before signing to the Patriots’ practice squad in early September. He hauled in 33 receptions for 434 yards and one touchdown in a one-and-done year in Jacksonville.

It’s a good sign to see that he clearly hit the ground running when arriving in New England.

Tight end Matt Sokol, offensive tackle Marcus Cannon and defensive tackle Sam Roberts were also wearing the honorary black jerseys at practice.

Roberts flashed throughout the preseason and even did a fun interview with Patriots Wire’s Cam Garrity heading into the season.

Meanwhile, Cannon has a long history with the team as a three-time Super Bowl champion. He was signed to the practice squad following the Patriots’ season-opening loss to the Miami Dolphins.

Sokol, on the other hand, has an uphill battle with Hunter Henry and Jonnu Smith on the main roster. It could take an injury for him to receive the call up to play in games, but the black jersey on his back says he’s prepared to do exactly that if given an opportunity.

[mm-video type=playlist id=01eqby79hc76t2s390 player_id=none image=https://patriotswire.usatoday.com/wp-content/plugins/mm-video/images/playlist-icon.png]

[listicle id=127494]

Former Michigan State football players sign to NFL practice squads

Several former Spartans have signed with NFL teams to play on the practice squad

NFL cut day has come and gone, and NFL teams have cut their rosters from 80 to 53, meaning many players were let go by there respective teams. The next step for these players is to hopefully catch on and get signed to a team’s practice squad.

Several former Spartans were a part of the NFL caualties, but some were lucky enough to catch on and sign with NFLpractice squads.

Check out what NFL teams signed former Spartans to their practice squad:

Contact/Follow us @The SpartansWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Michigan state news, notes, and opinion. You can also follow Cory Linsner on Twitter @Cory_Linsner.

Many familiar faces return to practice after initially being cut by Patriots

Multiple preseason fan favorites were back at practice on Wednesday.

There were plenty of familiar faces back at practice after initially being cut by the New England Patriots on Tuesday.

Like the rest of the league, the Patriots went through the tough process of trimming their rosters down to 53 players. On Wednesday, many of the players on the cut list went on waivers with the chance of being claimed by another team.

The Patriots were fortunate that tight end Devin Asiasi was their only former player that got claimed on waivers. So that paved the way for a slew of fan favorites to return, including Lil’Jordan Humphrey, Tre Nixon, J.J. Taylor and LaBryan Ray.

Even veteran cornerback Terrance Mitchell was spotted at practice.

There was also a reported “mystery lineman” wearing a No. 68 jersey. Could it be Drew Desjarlais?

The Patriots will lean on some of their practice squad talent to fill roles at certain points throughout the season for a team that currently has more questions than answers.

At the very least, there are several players within the group that showed they were up for the challenge during the preseason slate.

[mm-video type=playlist id=01eqby79hc76t2s390 player_id=none image=https://patriotswire.usatoday.com/wp-content/plugins/mm-video/images/playlist-icon.png]

[listicle id=126389]

Two ex-Lions cut this week get claimed by other NFL teams

The Jaguars claimed Rashod Berry and the Patriots claimed Matt Sokol

The Jacksonville Jaguars hold the top spot in the NFL’s waiver claim priority pecking order. And the Jaguars used their status to claim former Lions OLB Rashod Berry on Wednesday, while the New England Patriots did the same with tight end Matt Sokol.

Berry and Sokol were part of the wave of cuts in Detroit earlier this week. The Jaguars claimed Berry and assumed his $895,000 contract for 2022, releasing the Lions of any obligations. The Patriots did the same with Sokol.

It’s not often when players cut by the Lions at this time of year resurface immediately in another NFL city, especially when there are no prior ties to the player. Berry signed with the Lions last August after spending a season with the New England Patriots. In five games on the Lions’ active roster, Berry played a total of 62 snaps and recorded one QB hit.

Sokol never suited up for the Lions and was signed to a reserve/future contract earlier this offseason.

Ironically enough, Sokol does have time in the past on Jacksonville’s practice squad and Berry came to Detroit from New England. But they were claimed by the unfamiliar teams.