In a move that is absolutely peak Bill Belichick, the coach signed Navy defensive end Paul Quessenberry. In perhaps an interesting twist, they do not plan to keep them at the tight end position.
That name comes from the archives, as Quessenberry has been out of the NFL for five years after pursuing a career as a Marine. Now, he is entering the league looking for another shot.
“We’ll take a look at him and just see where he’s at,” Belichick told reporters on a videoconference call Monday. “He hasn’t played football in a while and he’s got some skills that may fit into guys that have been similar to him that have played that position – fullback/tight end, special teams, so forth – whether it be [James] Develin or Jak [Jakob Johnson] or players like that. We’ll see how it goes. Again, I don’t know, it’s been a while. He had a pretty good college career and you could see some things from him physically, but how that all comes together.”
He played two years at Navy, recording 63 tackles and 2.5 sacks in two seasons. Now, he will be trying to avoid tackles.
New England wants to move him to tight end, in what is certainly a stark contrast to his other position. There is a theory that defensive players have suspect pass-catching skills. Apparently, Quessenberry is exception to the norm.
Although he is not going to be the next Rob Gronkowski, he could offer the Patriots a scout team player. With that being said, Bill Belichick has a way of maximizing the production of his players. It’s for that reason that I wouldn’t be surprised if the coach turns Quessenberry into a five-time Pro Bowler when all is said and done.
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