The New England Patriots have added new faces to their coaching staff, which was depleted after the departure of several key mentors in the offseason. According to Kevin Duffy of the Boston Herald, the Patriots hired Ohio State defensive assistant Bob Fraser. However, Duffy said Fraser’s position with the Patriots is yet to be known.
Former Ohio State defensive coordinator Greg Schiano was also hired by the Patriots to replace Brian Flores, who was hired by the Miami Dolphins days after New England won its sixth Super Bowl trophy. However, the Patriots have yet to make Schiano’s hiring and position official.
Three of the Patriots’ key defensive players – defensive backs Devin and Jason McCourty and Duron Harmon -- are familiar with Schiano and Fraser as they played at Rutgers during the duo’s term. Flores tagged along with him several Patriots’ coaches, including wide receivers coach Chad O’Shea, cornerbacks coach Josh Boyer and assistant quarterbacks coach Jerry Schuplinski. Defensive line coach Brendan Daly transferred to the Kansas City Chiefs.
Roger Goodell silent about Josh Gordon's return
NFL commissioner Roger Goodell was non-committal about wide receiver Josh Gordon’s status and if he will ever return to playing in the league. When asked by Tom Curran of NBC Sports Boston regarding the timeline to resolve Gordon’s current state or whether if he will be handed another suspension, Goodell did not provide a clear reply.
“The first thing right now is the focus on Josh himself as a young man and what he needs to do to get his life on the right track. That’s what our focus is,” said Goodell. He added that the NFL has the resources to help Gordon get back on track. The commissioner said if Gordon returns on the right track, then he will start discussing his suspension.
After missing most of the 2015 and 2016 seasons, Gordon was reinstated by the NFL at the end of the 2017 season. Last season, he played one game for the Cleveland Browns before he was traded to the New England Patriots. In 11 games with the Patriots, he caught 40 passes for 720 yards and three touchdowns.
It was discovered that Gordon violated the terms of his suspension in Week 16, thus reinstating his indefinite suspension.
Despite his status, the Patriots took a gamble on Gordon, placing an original-round restricted free agent tender on the wide receiver for the 2019 season.
Patriots place Gronkowski on reserve/retired list
The Patriots made tight end Rob Gronkowski’s retirement official on Tuesday after they placed him on the reserve/retired list. The move cleared around $9 million in salary cap for the Patriots, increasing their room to around $17 million, and opened a spot in the 90-man roster. As of now, Gronkowski’s next move is unknown but reports surfaced that he could move to the WWE.
