The New England Patriots added a bit of Canadian flavor to their roster this week.
The Patriots on Thursday signed offensive lineman Drew Desjarlais, formerly of the Winnipeg Blue Bombers, to a reserve/future contract.
Desjarlais was the fourth overall pick in the 2019 Canadian Football League draft and was an O-line standout for Winnipeg, starting 24 games over two seasons and earning CFL All-Star honors in 2021. The Blue Bombers won the Grey Cup -- Canada's equivalent of the Super Bowl -- in each of his two seasons.
Winnipeg released Desjarlais earlier this week to allow him to pursue NFL opportunities. Blue Bombers general manager Kyle Walters said the 6-foot-2, 314-pound guard had workouts scheduled with roughly a dozen NFL teams, including the Patriots, who hosted him on Wednesday.
Desjarlais also worked out for the Patriots in early January and has participated in rookie minicamps with the New York Giants and Pittsburgh Steelers.
The Belle River, Ontario, native, is one of eight players to sign future contracts with the Patriots since their season ended in the wild-card round, joining wide receivers Kristian Wilkerson, Tre Nixon and Malcolm Perry, running back Devine Ozigbo, offensive lineman Will Sherman, kicker Quinn Nordin and defensive tackle Daniel Ekuale.
