Patriots Reportedly Releasing Backup TE After NFL Draft

After a weekend in which the New England Patriots drafted a tight end and signed one as an undrafted free agent, they've decided to part ways with one currently on the roster.

According to Doug Kyed of The Boston Herald, the Patriots are releasing backup tight end Marshall Lang. The second-year player had spent two separate stints in New England last season, and had inked a futures contract to return in 2026.

Lang -- a Ohio native who played five seasons of college football at Northwestern -- orignally broke into the NFL as an undrafted free agent with the Seattle Seahawks. After spending training camp in the Pacific Northwest, he was released during the NFL's cutdown day in August. He remained a free agent until he signed with the Patriots' practice squad on October 14.

That didn't last long, as Lang spent just two days in New England before being released and re-signing with the Seahawks the next month. Rinse and repeat, as the 24-year-old later re-signed with the Patriots practice squad for the remainder of the season.

Though he didn't play any snaps and wasn't active for any of New England's games all the way to the Super Bowl, he was one of 11 players to sign a futures contract -- for the league minimum -- to return for next season.

Sep 9, 2023; Evanston, Illinois, USA; Northwestern Wildcats tight end Marshall Lang (88) blocks against the University of Texas El Paso Miners at Ryan Field. Mandatory Credit: Jamie Sabau-Imagn Images | Jamie Sabau-Imagn Images

"It's been a little weird seeing it from an inside perspective. I used to be so judgmental of players," Lang said on the Leave The Pin podcast back in March. "I was like, 'How are you getting paid a million dollars a year ... and still dropping passes? ... I get to it and I'm like 'Jeez, you can kind of see why some people don't make these plays.'"

Who's Left For Patriots TEs?

The writing was on the wall for the Patriots tight end, however. The team drafted Notre Dame's Eli Raridon with the 95th overall selection, before signing Illinois' Tanner Arkin as an undrafted free agent. What originally was a depleted tight end room in terms of production instantly became that much more competitive heading into OTAs.

Hunter Henry remains the starter, while Raridon will likely step into the top backup role. Julian Hill, who the team signed from the Miami Dolphins in free agency, will be New England's best in-line blocker and that will probably be the trio that makes the 53-man roster.

The Patriots also have CJ Dippre and Jack Westover (who moonlighted as a fullback last year) in the organization as well.

Make sure you bookmark New England Patriots on SI for the latest news, exclusive interviews, film breakdowns, and so much more!

Add us as a preferred source on Google