Texans’ Dalton Keene Recalls Highs, Lows Of His Patriots Career

FOXBORO, Mass. — It was like a “Throwback Thursday” night at Gillette Stadium, just with the wrong kind of nostalgia.

A trio of failed third-round Patriots draft picks saw extended second-half time for the Texans in their preseason victory: defensive end Derek Rivers, edge rusher Chase Winovich and tight end Dalton Keene. And all made some sort of impact.

The injury-prone Rivers, New England’s first pick in the 2017 NFL Draft, registered one tackle in the 20-9 win. Winovich, who flashed pass-rushing excellence before the Patriots traded him over a year ago, posted two tackles and a sack. And Keene, who hasn’t appeared in an NFL game since he was a rookie in 2020, ran for a third-quarter touchdown.

Winovich spoke with reporters after the game about his time in New England and post-trade injury woes. He was as colorful and talkative as ever. Keene was asked similar questions, and his answers were no less interesting.

“It was definitely a weird feeling, but I am happy to be back,” Keene said of playing against his former team for the first time since his release last summer. “I’m playing for a different team and it felt a little weird, but that’s the job.”

The Patriots paid a steep price when they traded up to draft Keene in 2020. He caught just three passes while appearing in just six games over two seasons, cementing himself as one of the worst draft picks from the Bill Belichick era.

It wasn’t great for either side, but Keene chooses to focus on the positives from his time with the Patriots.

“I felt it was a great learning experience for me,” Keene said. “It was a great place for me to start my career. They taught me a lot of stuff. It was a tough place to play and something like that helps me out a lot going forward in my career.

“I wasn’t able to catch up with Bill (on Thursday), but I saw a lot of guys I played with and was able to say ‘hi’ to a bunch of them. A bunch of the players, a bunch of the staff — it was really great to see all those guys.”

Injuries have prevented Keene’s career from getting on track. But the 24-year-old is healthy now and hoping to capitalize on an opportunity in Houston.

“I’m happy to be healthy,” he said. “It was a tough couple of years for me. I know if I’m healthy there are a lot of things I can do on the field. That’s the key for me to stay that way and do everything I can to help out this team.”