While the New England Patriots are obviously trying to figure things out at the tackle position heading into free agency and the draft, it’s entirely possible they may actually already have at least one potential solution in-house.
Calvin Anderson was actually New England’s first non-team signing last offseason, with the Patriots reaching an agreement on a 2-year deal with the Broncos free agent tackle back on March 14, 2023.
The former undrafted free agent for New England in 2019 didn’t make it with the Patriots initially, spending the first part of that year with the Jets on their practice squad before getting scooped up by the Broncos and signed to their active roster.
He had since carved out a role for himself, which led to the opportunity he received with the Patriots last offseason.
However, a tough turn of events derailed things before he really got started. Anderson was placed on the non-football list ahead of camp and ended up on PUP. He appeared on the practice report in Weeks 8 and 9, with Anderson being limited on that first Wednesday while not participating in the final five sessions through the remainder of that week and week 9 before he ultimately ended up on injured reserve.
While there had been rumors that his situation was serious, the veteran recently revealed that it was apparently bad enough that it nearly cost him his life.
Anderson finally posted about his ordeal on social media yesterday, while letting everyone know that he’s now on a mission to “return to the game I love.”
“I almost lost everything,” wrote Anderson. “In 2023 I nearly lost my life and my career. I had to walk with God in order to turn devastation into transformation. Soon I will tell the story of how resilience allowed me to return to the game I love.”
“I promised you I would be back.”
He showed a hype video of himself working out as he continues trying to get himself back physically, potentially alluding to a season where he’ll hopefully contend for a spot on the offense.
https://twitter.com/THE_CONDA25/status/1765116943261164009
Best of luck to him, as it sounds like he’s overcome a lot just to survive. The fact he’s even in a position to get back to football shape is amazing, and it would be great to see him continue his career.
The Patriots could certainly use his help as tackle depth continues to be an issue, with the club clearly facing some big questions there this offseason.
(Editor’s Note: The above appeared in a recent daily Patriots notebook column.)
Support Us: Help Us Compete Against The Corporate Media Giants
We need your help. If you enjoy our content, please help us beat Google's Corporate algorithm by adding us as a preferred source on Google News.
Click the button below and check the box next to "PatsFans.com"
Add as a preferred source on Google News
Ian Logue is a Seacoast native and owner and senior writer for PatsFans.com, an independent media site covering the New England Patriots and has been running this site in one form or another since 1997.
