Unser Chat » The defending champion New England Patriots were looking

FOXBOROUGH http://www.jetsauthorizedshops.com/authentic-trevon-wesco-jersey , Mass. (AP) —o a salary cap-friendly veteran addition and their existing depth to address the loss of two starters as the free agency period opened on Wednesday.For the second straight season the Patriots will have a new starting left tackle to protect quarterback Tom Brady’s blind side. Last season’s starter, Trent Brown, was lured away from New England by the Raiders, agreeing to a new deal that a person familiar with it said is worth $66 million over the next four years . The person spoke on the condition of anonymity because the deal had not been announced.New England also lost defensive end Trey Flowers to Detroit after multiple outlets reported he agreed to a five-year contract that could be worth as much as $90 million. With the Lions he’ll be reunited with coach Matt Patricia, who was Flowers’ defensive coordinator in New England.Flowers made $1.9 million in the final season of his rookie contract last season and garnered a lot of attention on the open market. But the price tag was apparently more than the Patriots were willing to pay.Brown’s new deal is the richest NFL contract ever for an offensive lineman. Nate Solder, Brown’s predecessor in New England, penned a four-year, $62 million contract to join the Giants last offseason.New England will hope to fill Flowers’ production with veteran Michael Bennett. New England was finalizing a trade with the Eagles to acquire the 33-year old on Wednesday. When the trade is completed, Bennett will join his fourth NFL team. He is coming off nine sacks in 2018 with Philadelphia and has had at least five sacks each of the past seven seasons.Bennett is set to make about $7.2 million in 2019, the second season of the three-year, $30 million extension he signed with the Seahawks.Bennett confirmed the trade in an interview with ESPN on Tuesday Clelin Ferrell Jersey , saying he was excited to join the Patriots and coach Bill Belichick, who he referred to as “the Yoda of football.”“The Patriots are a team that people love to hate because they always win,” Bennett told ESPN on Tuesday. “The opportunity to learn from that and be in that environment is good.”His younger brother, tight end Martellus Bennett, won a Super Bowl ring with the Patriots during the 2016 season.It seems the Patriots are confident that Isaiah Wynn, whom they drafted 23rd overall in the 2018 draft, can fill Brown’s void. Wynn missed the entire 2018 regular season after tearing an Achilles tendon in a preseason game.Meanwhile, the Patriots’ twin combination in the secondary will remain intact for another season.Jason McCourty agreed to a two-year deal to stay in New England, according to a person familiar with that deal who spoke on the condition of anonymity because it had not been announced. It will allow him to continue playing alongside his twin brother and safety Devin McCourty. It also helps keep some continuity in New England’s starting secondary, which features the McCourty brothers, safety Patrick Chung and cornerback Stephon Gilmore.Jason McCourty appeared in all 16 games during the 2018 season http://www.raidersauthorizedshops.com/authentic-josh-jacobs-jersey , including 12 starts at left cornerback. He finished with 70 tackles, one interception and 10 passes defended.But the unit did lose some of its depth. Defensive back Eric Rowe agreed to a one-year contract with the Dolphins. A person familiar with that deal says it is worth $4.5 million. Rowe appeared in four games with the Patriots last season (two starts) before being placed on season-ending injured reserve with a groin injury.Notes: The Patriots extended qualifying offers to receiver Josh Gordon and defensive back Jonathan Jones. The team placed second-round tenders on both, meaning any team that signed them would have to send back second-round picks as compensation. It keeps alive the possibility that Gordon could rejoin the team if he is reinstated after his latest suspension for violating an agreement that allowed him to play after multiple drug suspensions. INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Defensive lineman Darryl Johnson sees hope for small-school players all around the NFL.One of his former teammates at North Carolina A&T, running back Tarik Cohen, plays for the Chicago Bears. Another ex-college teammate, offensive lineman Brandon Parker, landed with the Oakland Raiders. Cornerback Tony McRae, a third A&T alum, is with the Cincinnati Bengals and Indianapolis Colts linebacker Darius Leonard, another Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference alum, is the league’s newest defensive rookie of the year.Johnson knows the names Johnathan Abram Jersey , stories and backgrounds and it’s convinced him that he can be the next guy on the list.“He’s a guy from an HBCU (Historically Black College and University), who put in a lot of hard work and that’s what I do,” Johnson said Saturday when asked about Leonard. “He’s a relentless effort guy and I’m the same way.”Making it to the NFL’s annual scouting combine in Indianapolis could help pro scouts determine if they see the same similarities.While Johnson is not the biggest name in a crowded class of talented pass-rushing ends and fast linebackers and he’s not one of the enormous run stuffers, he certainly presents an intriguing profile.At 6-foot-6, 253 pounds, Johnson is long and lean, like Leonard.Johnson recorded 16 1/2 sacks over the past two seasons, earning first-team all-conference honors both years and last year’s MEAC defensive player of the year award — which Leonard took in2016 and 2017.Like Leonard, Johnson relies on speed to play sideline to sideline and, like Leonard, Johnson describes himself an underdog with something to prove.“Coming from a HBCU http://www.raidersauthorizedshops.com/authentic-trayvon-mullen-jersey , coming out early, I feel like I’m making a statement for all the HBCUs so they won’t sleep on black college football,” said Johnson, a redshirt junior who gave up his final year of eligibility to enter the draft. “A lot of legends played back college football.”Where exactly Johnson fits into this year’s draft is still to be determined.But his much is clear: Passing on small-school college players comes with its own perils.Two of the NFL’s greatest players — the late Walter Payton and Jerry Rice — attended HBCUs in Mississippi. Joe Flacco led the Baltimore Ravens to a Super Bowl title after playing at Delaware. Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Carson Wentz was taken No. 2 overall after competing for Football Championship Subdivision power North Dakota State and receivers Tyreek Hill and Adam Thielen played Division II at West Alabama and Minnesota State, before winning jobs with the Kansas City Chiefs and Minnesota Vikings.This year’s draft class should be no exception.Pass-rushing specialist Oshane Ximines became the first Old Dominion player to make the Senior Bowl, could be the first player drafted from the Virginia school and if things go well between now and April, he could be a first-round pick.Ximines was a late bloomer. He didn’t start playing football until he was a high school freshman then moved from safety to the defensive line after growing six inches and adding 30 pounds between his freshman and sophomore seasons.“My parents knew nothing about football,” Ximines said. “They’re from Jamaica so they leaned mostly toward soccer. But when I told my mom I got my first scholarship offer, she was like ‘They offer scholarships for that?'”Ximines didn’t just take the scholarship he made the most of his opportunity after redshirting his first year on campus. He finished his career with 33 sacks, 51 1/2 tackles for loss and 11 forced fumbles — all school records — and the kind of moniker coaches and general managers love to hear.“We say he’s the ultimate Monarch,” said Old Dominion receiver Travis Fulgham who is also at the combine. “He’s a perfect student-athlete. He’s always making big plays for us. He’s a leader on and off the field.”Then there’s defensive lineman John Cominsky Maxx Crosby Jersey , an Ohio native who played quarterback in high school and needed a recommendation just to get a shot at playing for the University of Charleston.Now, after turning heads there, he’s on the verge of becoming the first draftee from that Division II school.“I think you just have to dominate at your level and make enough noise,” Cominsky said. “You can do it wherever you play. You just have to make some plays.”And after hearing the advice of Cohen and Parker and watching McRae and Leonard succeed, Johnson believes this is his chance to make a splash.“Everybody in the MEAC is fast,” Johnson said. “We’re not the biggest guys, but we run to the ball and I think that helps us as the league changes.”