Patriots Continue Building Tackle Depth, Adding Riley Reiff and Tendering Cajuste
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New England Patriots > Patriots Blog
While the Patriots have yet to make any big splashes in free agency, it doesn’t change the fact they’ve continued building depth in key areas ahead of whatever moves might be coming.
The Patriots reportedly added Chicago Bears free agent offensive tackle Riley Reiff on Wednesday, while also tendering restricted free agent tackle Yodney Cajuste.
Reiff is considered to be a tough, hard-nosed type player who has played on both sides of the line, with most of his time coming at left tackle. His addition adds to a group that now has Conor McDermott, along with recent signing Calvin Anderson, Trent Brown, and last year’s 7th-round pick, Andrew Stueber.
Also adding to that group is restricted free agent Yodney Cajuste, who reportedly was given an original round tender, which would see him back on a 1-year, $2.7 million contract.
ESPN’s Mike Reiss points out that the additions of both Anderson and Reiff could see Brown move back over to right tackle, with Brown having spent last year starting at left tackle and struggling at various points.
Despite the signings, it still appears that the Patriots could potentially target someone in the upcoming draft. The club is still in need of some younger depth after most likely parting ways with former draft pick Isaiah Wynn, who is a free agent and has let everyone on social media know he expects to get paid a hefty sum for his services.
Wynn was previously a first-round pick (23rd overall) taken in the 2018 NFL Draft. The last tackle the club selected in round one before that was Nate Solder back in 2011 (17th overall).