After releasing linebacker Otis Reese, the New England Patriots headed into the weekend with one open spot on their roster. They filled it on Monday: the team of head coach Mike Vrabel signed defensive tackle Casey Rogers following a successful workout.
Let’s asses what the move means.
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Defensive line TBD
Besides filling out their 90-man roster, the Patriots now also have 10 defensive tackles on their roster; the team effectively replaced Otis Reese’s roster spot with an interior defensive lineman. However, as a seemingly trivial look at the jersey numbers shows, more change might be afoot:
At the moment, the team has assigned both Rogers and undrafted rookie David Blay Jr. the No. 96 jersey. That might in itself not mean much, but with the latter ominously absent from practice on Monday, it appears another move could very well be on the horizon.
For now, all we know is that Rogers is on the team and that Blay Jr’s status is unclear.
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Immense athleticism
Rogers projects as a rotational member of the Patriots’ interior defensive line who is best suited to attack from a 3-technique position. More of a pass rusher than a run stopper, he brings an intriguing athletic profile to the table: his 9.82 Relative Athletic Score had him ranked 34th out of 1,809 DTs coming out of college between 1987 and 2024, the year he entered the league as a rookie free agent.
So far in his career, Rogers has not been able to make use of his athletic skills. He has played just 35 defensive snaps over three career games and has no statistics to his name. Maybe another change of scenery — he also had a brief stint in Buffalo last summer — will help him properly get his career started.
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Familiarity
The Patriots coaching staff has some familiarity with Rogers. Defensive coordinator Zak Kuhr, for example, was a defensive assistant with the Giants when they signed the Oregon product as a UDFA in 2024. Also part of the New York staff were Shane Bowen, the former Giants DC who came to New England as a defensive analyst earlier this offseason, as well as vice president of player personnel Ryan Cowden.
That familiarity might not have been the ultimate deciding factor in hiring Rogers over fellow workout participant Jared Penning, but it certainly did not hurt either. The 27-year-old having some experience in a similar system should make for an easier transition.
No cap changes
Rogers is entering his third season in the NFL, but his addition as the 91st player on the team — including roster-exempt offensive tackle Lorenz Metz — does not have an impact on New England’s salary cap. His expected $960,000 minimum salary pact does not qualify for Top 51 status, and no guarantees will be part of the pact he signed to come to Foxborough.
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As of Monday afternoon, cap expert Miguel Benzan’s calculations have the Patriots $33.7 million under the salary cap.
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