UPDATE (4:48 p.m. ET): The New England Patriots officially placed offensive tackle Jared Veldheer on the reserve/retired list Tuesday afternoon. The team had signed Veldheer just eight days earlier to bolster its O-line.
ORIGINAL STORY: Less than two weeks after signing with the New England Patriots, veteran offensive tackle Jared Veldheer reportedly has instead decided to retire from the NFL.
Veldheer informed the Patriots of his decision Tuesday, according to a report from ESPN’s Mike Reiss.
The 31-year-old Veldheer started 113 games over nine seasons with the Oakland Raiders, Arizona Cardinals and Denver Broncos. He was expected to provide some much-needed depth and experience behind projected starting left tackle Isaiah Wynn this season.
The Patriots lost left tackle Trent Brown (Raiders) and swing tackle LaAdrian Waddle (Buffalo Bills) in free agency earlier this spring, leaving Marcus Cannon as New England’s lone proven offensive tackle.
Wynn, a 2018 first-round pick, missed his entire rookie season with a torn Achilles suffered last August. His return date remains unclear.
Behind Wynn on the depth chart are Cole Croston, Dan Skipper, Cedrick Lang, 2019 third-round draft pick Yodny Cajuste and undrafted rookie Tyree St. Louis. Croston, Skipper and Lang have combined for just three NFL appearances. Cajuste suffered a torn quad during the pre-draft process that’s expected to sideline him until training camp.
The Patriots began organized team activities Monday.
