UPDATE (2:50 p.m. ET):Â After informing Bryan Stork of his release Wednesday morning, the New England Patriots instead traded the center to the Washington Redskins, according to multiple reports.
ORIGINAL STORY: FOXBORO, Mass. — The New England Patriots bid another member of their 2014 draft class adieu Wednesday when they reportedly released center Bryan Stork.
Quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo, who was drafted 43 spots ahead of Stork and has been close with the the hot-tempered offensive lineman ever since, said he was sad to see Stork go.
“It’s tough,” Garoppolo said. “It’s that time of year. There’s a lot of movement between teams and players and everything, and it’s tough to see one of your guys go like that. But that’s the business, I guess.”
With Stork now gone, only an injury will prevent second-year pro David Andrews from starting at center for the Patriots in Week 1. Andrews started 11 games as an undrafted rookie last season while Stork was sidelined, and New England won all 11.
Andrews also started each of the Patriots’ first two preseason games and has been firmly entrenched with the first-team offense since the beginning of August.
“David, he’s been doing a great job this camp,” Garoppolo said. “The O-line as a whole has — it’s a good group of guys. No one gets mixed and matched more than those guys do, so to be able to work with different people next to you all the time and everything like that — you’re getting adjusted to them; they’re getting adjusted to you — it’s really a credit to those guys up front. They really handle it very well.”
Garoppolo, running back James White and offensive linemen Cameron Fleming and Jon Halapio are the only 2014 Patriots draftees still with the team, and Fleming and Halapio both are on the roster bubble this summer.
Thumbnail photo via Brian Fluharty/USA TODAY Sports Images
