Patriots Host QB, Two Receivers For Free Agent Workouts

On the same day they lost Malik Cunningham to the Baltimore Ravens, the Patriots hosted another young quarterback for a free agent tryout.

Brown product and Andover, Mass., native E.J. Perry headlined a group of three skill players who worked out for New England on Tuesday, according to the NFL transaction wire.

Perry, who began his collegiate career at Boston College, entered the NFL as an undrafted free agent in 2022. The 25-year-old spent his entire rookie season on the Jacksonville Jaguars’ practice squad, then logged two stints with the Houston Texans this past spring and summer.

Houston’s general manager, Nick Caserio, is a former high-ranking Patriots executive. Perry also visited the Patriots before the 2022 NFL Draft and trained with Mac Jones and Jarrett Stidham during the pre-draft process. He impressed at the NFL Scouting Combine, ranking first or second among QBs in his draft class in the 40-yard dash, short shuttle, three-cone drill, vertical jump and broad jump. Some draft analysts believed he could play a multipositional role in the NFL, a la Taysom Hill.

So far, though, the 25-year-old has seen minimal playing time. Between his two Texans tenures, Perry started one game for the Michigan Panthers in the USFL, going 12-for-23 for 121 yards with no touchdowns and no interceptions. He’s been unsigned since late August and has yet to appear in a regular-season NFL game.

Joining Perry at Tuesday’s workouts were wide receivers Kendall Hinton and C.J. Saunders.

Hinton spent the last three seasons with the Denver Broncos before being released during final roster cuts in August. The 26-year-old Wake Forest product caught 24 passes on 33 targets for 311 yards across 12 appearances in 2022. He also has punt return experience.

Casual fans might remember Hinton from the one game he started at quarterback in 2020 while the rest of Denver’s QB room was in COVID-19 protocol. The former college signal-caller went 1-for-9 for 13 yards and two interceptions in a 31-3 loss to New Orleans.

Saunders is a 27-year-old out of Ohio State who played in two games for the Carolina Panthers in 2021 (two targets, two catches, 11 yards). He spent the first month of this season on the Atlanta Falcons’ practice squad and has been unsigned since mid-October.

Cunningham’s decision to leave the Patriots’ practice squad and sign with the Ravens gave New England three open P-squad spots. The other two were vacated when the team cut kicker Matthew Wright and linebacker Calvin Munson signed with the Miami Dolphins.

The 3-10 Patriots will host the 8-5 Kansas City Chiefs this Sunday at Gillette Stadium.