One of the New England Patriots’ planned signings has fallen through.
The Patriots no longer will sign tight end Jordan Leggett, according to a report Tuesday morning from ESPN’s Field Yates.
It had been reported Monday that New England would sign Leggett if the ex-New York Jet passed his physical and COVID-19 testing. The exact reason for the about-face was not specified.
With Leggett out of the picture, the Patriots now have one open spot on their 80-man roster and a lack of experience at the tight end position. Of the five tight ends on their roster, four are rookies (Devin Asiasi, Dalton Keene, Jake Burt and Rashod Berry) and the fifth, 24-year-old Ryan Izzo, has appeared in just six NFL games.
Veteran Matt LaCosse was one of eight Patriots players to opt out of the season because of coronavirus concerns.
Available free agent tight ends include Delanie Walker, Jeff Heuerman, Ed Dickson, Geoff Swaim, Luke Stocker, Ben Braunecker, Ben Koyack and Clive Walford. The Patriots reportedly showed interest in Walker, a three-time Pro Bowler and the most accomplished player in that group, earlier this month.
New England also reportedly agreed to terms Tuesday with running back Lamar Miller, defensive tackle Darius Kilgo and center Tyler Gauthier, pending physicals and COVID tests. Those signings were not yet official as of Tuesday morning.
