The New England Patriots are planing on signing offensive tackle Jared Veldheer, according to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport.
They two parties may not make the deal official until later this week. That may be because New England wants to keep Veldheer from counting against the compensatory pick formula for the 2020 NFL Draft. Signings made on May 8 or later will not come into play for the Patriots’ draft compensation for their 2019 free agent, which is likely to earn them two third-round picks.
Veldheer will join a group of tackles which includes veterans Isaiah Wynn and Marcus Cannon and 2019 third-round pick Yodny Cajuste along with a handful of unproven, young players. Then again, it’s tough to qualify Wynn as a veteran — he is in his second year, but missed his entire rookie season with an Achilles injury.
Veldheer’s role for New England will likely be dependent upon Wynn’s recovery from his Achilles injury and Cajuste’s ability to acclimate and develop into an NFL caliber tackle. That said, it wouldn’t be a surprise for New England to carry Wynn, Cannon, Veldheer and Cajuste for all of 2019, so long as they are all healthy.
