Gillette Stadium was crowded with free agents Monday, as the New England Patriots reportedly worked out six players, including a 2013 first-round pick, at the facility.
The Patriots tried out defensive linemen Datone Jones and Jonathan Woodard, wide receivers River Cracraft, Nelson Spruce and Kenny Lawler and defensive back Robert Nelson, ESPN’s Field Yates and Mike Reiss reported Monday.
The Patriots were down to just one fully healthy receiver by the end of Sunday’s 36-20 win over the New Orleans Saints.
Jones was selected 26th overall out of UCLA by the Green Bay Packers in the 2013 NFL Draft. He signed with the Minnesota Vikings as a free agent this offseason but was placed on injured reserve and then released earlier this month.
The 6-foot-3, 288-pound defensive end has nine sacks and 73 tackles in four seasons.
Cracraft, a rookie out of Washington State, tore in ACL in November and has yet to sign with an NFL team.
Spruce, a second-year player out of Colorado, returned 33 punts for 195 yards in college. Nelson, who’s a fourth-year player out of Arizona State, also has punt return experience in college. The Patriots are shallow at punt returner with Danny Amendola injured and Julian Edelman and Cyrus Jones out for the season.
Lawler was a seventh-round draft pick by the Seattle Seahawks in 2016.
Woodard was selected in the seventh round of the 2016 NFL Draft by the Jacksonville Jaguars out of Central Arkansas.
Thumbnail photo via Timothy T. Ludwig/USA TODAY Sports Images
