Patriots Sign Offensive Tackle
FOXBORO — The New England Patriots have reportedly retained a veteran reserve tackle, which they hope can provide some much-needed depth to their beleaguered offensive line.
The Patriots, per a Thursday afternoon report from MassLive, are picking up the exclusive rights free agent option of offensive tackle Tyrone Wheatley, Jr. Accirdingly, Wheatley will return to New England for the upcoming season.
Wheatley was traded to the Patriots from the Cleveland Browns just prior to final roster cuts last August in exchange for running back Pierre Strong Jr. The 27-year-old played in the first two games of the season on special teams. He was placed on injured reserve (IR) in mid-October with a knee injury. His 21-day window to return from IR was opened on Dec. 13 but was not activated before the season's end.
Photo by Fred Kfoury III/Icon Sportswire
The 6-6, 320-pound lineman originally joined the NFL as an undrafted rookie out of Michigan in 2020; signing as a free agent with the Chicago Bears. The son of former NFL running back Tyrone Wheatley Sr, spent two seasons on the Bears practice squad before joining the scout teams of the squads of the Las Vegas Raiders and Browns, respectively.
Wheatley’s return to New England will allow him to reunite with former Browns offensive coach Alex Van Pelt, who recently accepted the Pats offensive coordinator position under first-year head coach Jerod Mayo. Both Van Pelt and new offenisveoffensive line coach Scott Peters, will undoubtedly look to recapture some of the prowess Wheatley began to show prior to his trade to the Pats last summer.
Despite having yet to appear in an NFL game, Wheatley’s training camp and preseason output suggested that he was expected to play a significant role with the Browns prior to Sunday’s trade. Throughout his two preseason appearances, he surrendered just three pressures, one hit and two hurries in 66 pass blocking snaps. Still, Wheatley should be considered more as a pupil, than proficient in this area. Some inconsistencies with his posture have led to improper positioning. As such, he is likely to remain an on-going project.
Wheatley’s more immediate contributions to the club will most likely come as a run blocker. With the ability to identify the positioning of both defensive linemen and linebackers at the snap point, he can use his size and foot speed to effectively wall-off an opposing defender.
Having two-or-fewer accrued seasons, along with an expiring contract, Wheatley was set to become an exclusive rights free agent at the start of the NFL year on March 13.
Earlier in the day, impending free-agent cornerback Alex Austin announced via social media that he would be returning to the Patriots for the upcoming season.
