As training camp continues on, the New England Patriots had four players in on Sunday for tryouts. Michigan guard Ben Braden, California tight end Paul Butler, Tennessee tight end Alex Ellis, and the Louisiana State nose tackle Greg Gilmore all visited New England.
Butler has been in the NFL before. He most recently was with the Las Vegas Raiders in the 2018 and 2019 seasons.
Ellis began his career as an undrafted free agent. He was signed by the Tennessee Titans in 2016, and has since bounced around. In total, he has three receptions for 11 yards in his career. He most recently spent time with the Philadelphia Eagles and made the team’s 53-man roster as the third tight end. He was waived on July 17.
Greg Gilmore has bounced around the National Football League, but has not found a permanent home to this point. Playing at LSU from 2014-17, he recorded 79 tackles and10 sacks in four seasons of play. His best year came in 2017. He recorded 10 tackles for a loss and 7.5 sacks.
Overall, it’s clear that New England wants to address depth at tight end first and foremost after the Jordan Leggett signing fell through. It will be interesting to see if these players are just camp bodies or if they will have a viable role for the organization down the road.
