71 days till Patriots season opener: Every player to wear No. 71 for New England

Here’s a list of every Patriots player to wear the No. 71 jersey number.

With 71 days left until the regular season opener for the New England Patriots, we are looking at every player for the franchise that has ever worn the No. 71 jersey.

Offensive guard Michael Onwenu, who is one of the most underrated offensive players in the NFL, currently wears the number for New England. He was snubbed from the Pro Bowl in 2022, despite having the fourth-highest Pro Football Focus grade at his position.

Cleveland Browns guard Joel Bitonio was the only other AFC offensive guard with a higher grade than Onwenu.

Of course, there have been other standouts to wear the jersey, from offensive linemen to defensive linemen. Here’s every Patriots player that has worn the No. 71 jersey throughout franchise history (via Pro Football Reference):

Rahim Moore among 6 ex-Broncos cut by XFL teams

Rahim Moore was among six former Broncos players who were cut by XFL teams earlier this week.

Rahim Moore was among six former Denver Broncos players who were cut when XFL teams trimmed their rosters from 71 players down to 52 players earlier this week. The safety failed to make Washington, D.C.’s final roster.

In addition to Moore, defensive lineman Sealver Siliga (Dallas), offensive tackle Cyrus Kouandjio (Seattle), tight end Orson Charles (Dallas), wide receiver Steven Dunbar (Dallas) and cornerback Lorenzo Doss (New York) were also cut by their XFL teams.

Former Denver wide receiver Jordan Leslie, linebacker Josh Banderas, wide receiver John Diarse and wide receiver Durron Neal were part of the XFL draft pool but went unselected in October.

Ex-Broncos cornerback Brendan Langley was drafted by the XFL’s Houston-based team but he left the league to sign with the Seahawks’ practice squad during the NFL playoffs. After Seattle’s season ended, Langley’s contract expired and he was not re-signed.

Wide receiver/returner Kelvin McKnight was selected by Dallas in the XFL draft but left the league in December to sign a reserve/future contract with the Broncos. He spent part of last season on Denver’s practice squad.

Punter Shane Tripucka, the grandson of Broncos Ring of Fame quarterback Frank Tripucka, was part of the XFL draft pool but went unselected. He worked out for the Broncos in December but was not among the players Denver signed to reserve/future contracts.

Wide receiver Max McCaffrey, the son of former Broncos wide receiver Ed McCaffrey, was selected by D.C. in the XFL draft but he left the team earlier this month to join his father’s coaching staff at Northern Colorado. The younger McCaffrey will coach UNC’s wide receivers this fall.

The XFL will kick off on Saturday, Feb. 8 when D.C. hosts Seattle at 12 p.m. MT on ABC. That game will be followed by L.A. at Houston on Fox.

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