The New England Patriots announced a new addition to their practice squad Tuesday. The team added offensive tackle Caleb Jones. To make room for Jones, the Patriots released edge defender Brevin Allen.
Caleb Jones is a massive man. He is listed at 6-foot-9 and 370 pounds. It is possible New England wanted Jones to help prepare for the team’s Week 1 matchup against Cincinnati.
The Bengals have some of the largest offensive tackles in the entire NFL. Their group includes Orlando Brown Jr., former Patriot Trent Brown, and rookie first-round pick Amarius Mims.
Jones played collegiately for Indiana University. He played in 38 games for the Hoosiers. He primarily played right tackle in college. Pro Football Focus did not grade his performance favorably for Indiana. His highest season-ending grade was a 64.8 in his sophomore season. He was not selected in the 2022 NFL Draft.
The Green Bay Packers signed Jones as an undrafted rookie free agent. He spent the past two seasons on Green Bay’s practice squad. He appeared in one game last season but only played one special teams snap.
Jones appeared in all three Packers’ preseason games this year. Unlike college, Green Bay mostly used Jones at left tackle. He earned a 68.8 grade from PFF for his play in the preseason.
Green Bay cut Jones as part of their final moves before the NFL cutdown deadline.
New England has five tackles on their 53-man roster: Mike Onwenu, Chukwuma Okorafor, Caedan Wallace, Vederian Lowe, and Demontrey Jacobs. Both Sidy Sow and Zach Thomas are guards capable of playing tackle if needed. Caleb Jones is the first tackle signed to the practice squad, though offensive lineman Liam Fornadel has some experience playing there in college.
The addition of Caleb Jones means the departure of Brevin Allen, an edge defender. The New England Patriots signed the 6-foot-4 265, 265-pound Allen last week but he leaves less than a week later due to positional needs.
