NFL Rumors: Patriots Plan To Sign Free Agent Tight End, D-Tackle

The New England Patriots intend to sign free agent tight end Jordan Leggett and defensive tackle Darius Kilgo, according to a report Monday from NFL Media’s Ian Rapoport.

The signings are pending the results of Leggett’s and Kilgo’s physicals and COVID-19 tests, per Rapoport. Both players visited the Patriots last Friday, ESPN’s Mike Reiss reported.

Leggett would provide additional depth to a Patriots tight end room that lacks NFL experience following Matt LaCosse’s decision to opt out of the season. The 25-year-old caught 14 passes for 114 yards and one touchdown for the New York Jets in 2018, then spent last season with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers but did not appear in a regular-season game.

A fifth-round draft pick of the Jets in 2017, Leggett was a dangerous receiving threat at Clemson, tallying 86 receptions for 1,261 yards and 15 touchdowns over his final two collegiate seasons. Pre-draft scouting reports questioned his blocking ability. He’s listed at 6-foot-5, 258 pounds.

Leggett would join a position group that features four rookies (third-round picks Devin Asiasi and Dalton Keene and undrafted free agents Jake Burt and Rashod Berry) and 24-year-old Ryan Izzo, who’s appeared in six NFL games.

Kilgo is a familiar face, having spent most of the second half of the 2016 season on the Patriots’ practice squad. He remained with the team through the 2017 preseason before being cut. The 28-year-old has spent time with six NFL franchises, playing in 18 games from the Denver Broncos in 2015 and 2016 and 11 for the Tennessee Titans in 2018. He signed with the Detroit Lions last offseason but suffered a season-ending injury in August.

Signing Leggett and Kilgo would leave the Patriots with two open roster spots. Since losing eight players to opt-outs, they’ve re-signed undrafted rookies Will Hastings, Brian Lewerke and Isaiah Zuber and traded for cornerback Michael Jackson.

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