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The Patriots have signed 28-year old offensive tackle Damane Duckett to a 1-year contract. Duckett last played in the NFL in 2006 with the 49ers. Still, the Patriots love Duckett’s size as he is 6’6″, 329 pounds. Duckett has played in 20 games (1 start) in his NFL career to date. This was a depth signing for the Patriots.
The Patriots got a star last season in the first round in middle linebacker Jared Mayo. Mayo started all 16 games for the Patriots last season and he made 128 tackles, forced a fumble and he defensed 4 passes. Mayo should be a impact player for the Patriots for a long, long time. 2nd rounder (CB) Terrence Wheatley was a huge disappointment for the Patriots last season as he played in 6 games (1 start) in which he made 2 tackles and defensed 2 passes. 3rd rounder (OLB) Shawn Crable didn’t even make it to the field last season. Fellow 3rd rounder (QB) Kevin O’Connell will move up the depth chart to the #2 job with the Matt Cassel trade earlier this off season. O’Connell played in 2 games (0 starts) for the Patriots last season and he completed 4 of 6 passes (66.7%) for 23 yards with 0 TDs and 0 INTs (73.6 QB Rating). He also carried the ball 3 times for a loss of 6 yards but all of those were kneel down situations. 4th rounder (CB) Jonathan Wilhite was better than 2nd rounder Terrence Wheatley. He played in all 16 games (4 starts) for the Patriots last season and he made 28 tackles, defensed 2 passes and he intercepted a pass. WR/KR Matt Slater was a huge disappointment for the Patriots last season. He played in 14 games (0 starts) and he didn’t catch any passes. He returned 11 kickoffs for 155 yards (14.1 avg) before getting replaced last season. 6th round pick (LB) Bo Ruud didn’t make it to the field during the regular season in 2008.
GRADE FOR THE 2008 SEASON: C-
GRADE FOR THE FUTURE: C+
The Patriots have signed 30-year old offensive lineman Al Johnson. Johnson played in 4 games (0 starts) last season for the Dolphins. He has now played in 66 games (45 starts) over his 6-year NFL career. This was a good signing for the Patriots who love stockpiling veterans like Johnson.
The Patriots have signed 37-year old WR Joey Galloway to a 1-year contract. Galloway played in 9 games for the Buccaneers last season and he caught 13 passes for 138 yards (10.6 avg). He has now played in 185 games in his NFL career in which he has caught 682 passes for 10,710 yards (15.7 avg) with 77 TD grabs. He has also carried the ball 63 times for 496 yards (7.9 ypc) with 1 TD run in his career. This was a good gamble for the Patriots as Galloway can still play when he’s healthy.
The Patriots have signed 27-year old cornerback Leigh Bodden to a 1-year, $2.25 million dollar contract. Bodden played in all 16 games for the Lions last season and he made 73 tackles, defensed 11 passes, forced 3 fumbles and he made 1 interception. Bodden has now played in 75 games in his NFL career and he has made 291 tackles, defensed 58 passes, forced 8 fumbles and he has intercepted 13 passes. This was a great signing for the Patriots as Bodden should make a impact in 2009.
The Patriots have signed 31-year old long snapper Nathan Hodel. Hodel played in all 16 games (0 starts) for the Cardinals last season. Cardinals’ head coach Ken Whisenhunt wasn’t happy with the coverage provided by Hodel so he replaced him. Hodel will have to play better to keep a job in New England this season. He has now played in 112 games (0 starts) in his 8-year NFL career.
The Patriots have acquired 29-year old WR Greg Lewis and a undisclosed 2010 draft pick for a 5th round pick in the 2009 draft. Lewis played in all 16 games for the Eagles last season and he caught 19 passes for 247 yards (13.0 avg) with 1 TD grab. He has now played in 90 games in his NFL career and he has caught 127 passes for 1,699 yards (13.4 avg) with 7 TD grabs. Lewis will be the front runner to replace Jabar Gaffney as the #3 WR in 2009 so this was a small price for the Patriots to pay.
The Patriots have signed 33-year old CB Shawn Springs. Springs played in 9 games for the Redskins last season and he made 36 tackles, defensed 7 passes, had 1 sack and 1 interception. Springs has now played in 157 games in his NFL career and he has made 642 tackles, defensed 134 passes, has 8.5 sacks, forced 5 fumbles and he has intercepted 32 passes (2 returned for TDs). Look for Springs to get right into the starting lineup for the Patriots in 2009 as this was a solid signing for them.