Ex-Patriot’s Twin Brother Takes Free Agent Visit With New England

The New England Patriots brought in a familiar face Friday, though they don’t have much history with him.

Let us explain:

New England brought in former Detroit Lions core special teams player C.J. Moore on Friday, according to Mike Reiss of ESPN. His connection to the Patriots? He is the twin brother of ex-New England undrafted free agent A.J. Moore.

C.J. Moore — who is a safety by trade — spent each of the last for seasons with Detroit, save for a week-long stint on the Houston Texans practice squad. The 27-year-old primarily served as the Lions’ personal punt protector.

The Mississippi product has played just 344 snaps on defense in his career, but more than 1,000 snaps on special teams since entering the NFL as an undrafted free agent in 2019. He has 48 tackles, one fumble recovery, two passes defended and an interception in his career.

The Patriots clearly are interested in upgrading their special teams unit, as they already agreed to terms with special teams standout Chris Board, who is Moore’s former Lions teammate and has a big fan in Bill Belichick.

The Patriots also brought in free agent wide receiver Olabisi Johnson, defensive end Trey Flowers, linebacker Andrew Van Ginkel and safety Taylor Rapp alongside Board on Thursday, though they all left unsigned.