The Patriots continued to do their due diligence on the free-agent market before their season opener.
According to ESPN's Mike Reiss on Friday, New England hosted tight ends Zaire Mitchell-Paden and Irv Smith Jr. for tryouts. In an update Saturday morning, Reiss added there was "nothing imminent" with the free agents.
Mitchell-Paden was with offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt on the Cleveland Browns. The 25-year-old was primarily a practice squad player and was waived last Tuesday after two seasons.
Smith was drafted by the Vikings in the second round of the 2019 NFL Draft. He played four seasons with Minnesota before signing with the Cincinnati Bengals as a free agent last season. The 26-year-old signed with the Kansas City Chiefs in the offseason but was waived last Tuesday. Smith has 109 catches for 973 yards and 10 touchdowns in 49 games.
Story continues below advertisement
New England carried three tight ends on its 53-man roster: Hunter Henry, Austin Hooper and Jaheim Bell; Mitchell Wilcox was signed to the practice squad. Henry suffered an undisclosed injury during training camp, but he's on track to play in Week 1 against the Bengals.
The Patriots have until 4 p.m. ET on Saturday to make any practice squad elevations. Kickoff for New England-Cincinnati at Paycor Stadium is scheduled at 1 p.m. ET.
Featured image via Mark J. Rebilas/Imagn Images
