For seemingly the millionth time, the Patriots on Thursday signed a practice-squad player who could reveal key secrets about New England’s next opponent.
Mike McDaniel ain’t sweating it though — not anymore, at least.
The player is Lynn Bowden, an ultra-versatile receiver who had “future Patriot” written all over him when he was coming out of college. Bowden was a third-round pick of the Las Vegas Raiders in 2020, but was traded to the Miami Dolphins after his first training camp. He was active for 10 games that season, catching 28 balls for 211 yards while adding 32 yards on the ground. However, Bowden missed all of 2021 due to an injury and was released on Tuesday as part of Miami’s final roster cuts.
When he landed with the Patriots on Thursday, many wondered whether Bill Belichick was hoping to gain intel on the Dolphins before the Sept. 11 season opener. McDaniel, Miami’s new head coach, was asked about that possibility.
“No. I’m happy for Lynn,” McDaniel told reporters, via Joe Schad of the Palm Beach Post. “I used to be concerned about that. But you can go online now and buy almost every playbook I’ve ever worked on.”
Fair enough.
Still, it’s worth noting that the Dolphins on Thursday signed special teams standout Justin Bethel, who was one of New England’s final roster cuts. Perhaps it was an eye-for-an-eye move from McDaniel after watching Bowden join the Patriots.
In any event, it’s clear the Week 1 matchup is being taken seriously by both teams, especially the Patriots. New England is taking a near-unprecedented step in flying to Miami five days early in hopes of acclimating to the climate.
The Patriots and Dolphins will kick off at 1 p.m. ET on Sunday, Sept. 11. New England is just 1-4 in its last five trips to Hard Rock Stadium.
