Today in Patriots History
Cups of Coffee
Happy 32nd birthday to Paul Turner
Born May 10, 1993 in West Monroe, Louisiana
Patriot wide receiver, 2018 offseason; uniform #86
Signed as an unrestricted veteran free agent on July 27, 2018
Pats résumé: one training camp
July 27, 2018:
The New England Patriots have made their first roster move of the training camp portion of the 2018 season, cutting Troy Niklas and signing Paul Turner.
985thesportshub.com
The New England Patriots have reportedly made their first roster move of the training camp portion of the season. According to ESPN's Field Yates, they have released tight end Troy Niklas and signed wide receiver Paul Turner.
Niklas, 25, signed with the Patriots as a free agent in April. He entered training camp in, at best, the fourth spot on the TE depth chart behind Rob Gronkowski, Dwayne Allen, and Jacob Hollister. He caught at least one pass on Friday in training camp, but apparently it wasn't good enough to keep him around.
Turner, meanwhile, last played in an NFL game in 2016 with the Philadelphia Eagles. The 5-foot-10 wideout was cut before the start of the 2017 season, then signed a futures contract with the New Orleans Saints in January.
The 25-year-old Turner joins a wide receiver group that still includes Julian Edelman, Chris Hogan, Phillip Dorsett, Malcolm Mitchell, Kenny Britt, Jordan Matthews, Riley McCarron, and rookie Braxton Berrios. As for the tight ends, there's still at least two roster spots to be settled after Gronkowski. It's down to Allen, Hollister, Will Tye, and rookies Ryan Izzo and Shane Wimann.
Aug 21, 2018:
After not playing in an NFL game in 20 months, wide receiver Paul Turner’s next opportunity to earn a snap will come with the New England Patriots. Turner explained in an interview with Rich Garven
patriotswire.usatoday.com
Aug 31, 2018:
Patriots release five players -- Patriots.com
The Patriots announced today that they have released DL Frank Herron, CB Ryan Lewis, WR Devin Lucien, RB Khalfani Muhammad and WR Paul Turner.
Paul Turner: Waived by New England
www.cbssports.com
Turner recorded nine receptions for 126 yards in his rookie season with the Eagles last year. Despite an unimpressive Patriots wide receiver corps behind Julian Edelman (suspension) and Chris Hogan, Turner was not able to carve out a spot on the 53-man roster. If Turner clears waivers, he'll attempt to sign elsewhere as a depth receiver or special teams option.
After Turner was released he re-signed with the Saints in early January, but was released three days later, ending his NFL career. Since 2020 he has worked as a college coach: for Louisiana Tech (2020-2022; grad assistant, defensive analyst, safeties coach), LSU (2023-2024 as lead offensive analyst) and currently at the University of North Carolina-Charlotte as their wide receivers coach and passing game coordinator.
Happy 27th birthday to Kobe Jones
Born May 10, 1998 in Starkville, Mississippi
Patriot outside linebacker, 2024 offseason; uniform #54
Signed as an unrestricted veteran free agent on August 20, 2024
Pats résumé: one week in training camp
Kobe Jones was undrafted out of Mississippi State in 2021, originally signed by Atlanta. He also spent time with Miami, Tennessee, Green Bay and Carolina. Jones played for the Hamilton-Tiger Cats in the CFL in 2024 before making what may be his final NFL stop in Foxborough last year. Jones was waived seven days after his arrival; perhaps just a warm body to play in the final meaningless preseason game. He appeared in two NFL games in 2022; one with the Packers, and one with the Panthers. Last sight of Mr Jones was last October, when he signed to play for the San Antonio Brahmas in the United Football League.
Former Hamilton Tiger-Cats DL Kobe Jones signs with New England Patriots
The six-foot-three, 255-pound defender was released from the Ticats’ practice roster on Aug. 13. Jones dressed for six games with Hamilton this season, making two defensive tackles, one special teams tackle, and one sack.
The Patriots have added some much-needed depth to their front seven.
www.nbcsportsboston.com
The Patriots play their third and final preseason game Sunday.
The New England Patriots were busy making roster moves Tuesday.
They have added some much-needed depth to their front seven by signing defensive end Kobe Jones and linebacker Christian McCarroll. They also claimed wide receiver Matt Landers off waivers and placed wideout JaQuae Jackson on injured reserve.
Jones has two games of NFL experience. He appeared once for both the Carolina Panthers and Green Bay Packers during the 2022 season. He went undrafted in 2021 after playing for Mississippi State. Jones has also spent time with the Atlanta Falcons, Tennessee Titans and Miami Dolphins. He played six games for the Hamilton Tiger-Cats in the CFL this past season.
Checkout the latest stats for Kobe Jones. Get info about his position, age, height, weight, college, draft, and more on Pro-football-reference.com.
www.pro-football-reference.com
Pro Football Archives -- Kobe Jones Player Profile
Pro Football Archives -- Kobe Jones Transactions
Other pro football players born on May 10, with New England connections:
Jeremy Trueblood, 42 (May 10, 1983);
Boston College, class of 2006
Right tackle started 94 games from 2006-13, mostly for Tampa Bay.
Curly Oden (May 10, 1899 - Aug 31, 1978);
Providence native; went to Classical High School and Brown University
Blocking Back for the Providence Steamrollers and Boston Braves, 1925-1932. In 1926 he scored ten touchdowns: 6 rushing, 1 receiving and 3 on punt returns.
'Chuckin' Charlie' O'Rourke (May 10, 1917 - April 14, 2000);
Malden High School and Boston College
Montreal born QB/P was the 39th pick in the 1941 draft by the Bears. In '46 with the Los Angeles Dons he led the league in pass completion percentage (57.7%).
Dameon Reilly, 62 (May 10, 1963);
University of Rhode Island, class of 1986
The WR appeared in three games as a replacement player for Miami in 1987, with five receptions for 70 yards.
