The New England Patriots are bringing back safety Jordan Richards, according to ESPN’s Field Yates.
Richards spent his first three NFL seasons with the Patriots and was traded to the Atlanta Falcons in 2018 for a seventh-round draft pick. He started 12 games for the Falcons, but he never got re-signed. He had a brief stint with the Oakland Raiders and was cut during final roster cuts this summer.
Richards’ first stint with New England was disappointing, because he lacked the size of a linebacker and couldn’t find a role in the secondary. The Patriots will likely use him a key special teamer — as they did in 2017 when he led the unit in snaps played.
He could also be a depth guy at safety, where the Patriots have older players in Devin McCourty and Patrick Chung.
