Patriots Make a Trade for OL Ojinnaka
With their depth on the offensive line still in question, the Patriots made a trade with the Atlanta Falcons last night, acquiring offensive lineman Quinn Ojinnaka for an undisclosed draft pick.
The 26-year old Maryland native was drafted in the fifth round in 2006 and played in 11 games as a rookie that year. He saw 11 more in '07, followed by eight in '08, and nine last season in which he started his final five games at right guard.
He's played both guard and tackle with the Rams, and should provide some depth for New England in the event they lose another player to injury. The team is currently without Logan Mankins (contract holdout) and Nick Kaczur (back injury), so they're already fairly thin heading into the season.
Ojinnaka is expected to push Ryan Wendell, Ted Larson, and Rich Ohrnberger for a roster spot, although it's not yet known if he'll play this Thursday night when the St. Louis Rams visit Foxboro. As for the draft choice compensation Mike Reiss of ESPNBoston.com feels that it will likely be a later round pick assuming that Ojinnaka makes the roster.
