Pats Pulpit
The list of player connections isn’t exactly a list entering NFL Week 10. Alas.
Just one former Tampa Bay Buccaneer resides in head coach Mike Vrabel’s locker room. Just one former New England Patriot resides in head coach Todd Bowles’ locker room. And that’s between the current 53-man rosters, practice squads as well as reserve lists.
Again, not exactly a list.
But here’s a brief glance through those ties heading into Sunday’s 1 p.m. ET kickoff at Raymond James Stadium.
Michael Jordan, guard — The Patriots waived Jordan late last November after claiming fellow guard Lester Cotton via the Miami Dolphins. At the time of the exit, he had played 87.7 percent of the offensive snaps, a rate that stood behind only Mike Onwenu on the line and elsewhere. After making the initial 53-man roster of 2024, the 27-year-old twice served as a standard elevation from New England’s practice squad before being promoted back to the active roster. There were 11 starts made by Jordan while in Foxborough. He has since made a trio of starts in the NFC South after joining during training camp and beginning September on the practice squad. Originally entering the NFL with the Cincinnati Bengals in the fourth round of the 2019 draft class at No. 136 overall, the Ohio State product has also been a member of the Carolina Panthers and Green Bay Packers. His career spans 70 games and 43 starts.
Carlton Davis III, cornerback — The Patriots agreed to terms with Davis on a three-year, $54 million contract as the NFL’s tampering window opened in March. The unrestricted arrival at Gillette Stadium has gone on to start all nine games this fall. To date, his stay includes 32 tackles, a trio of pass deflections and a quarterback hit. The 28-year-old cornerback stands with 502 defensive snaps, good for 94.7 percent. That workload ranks just after linebacker and captain Robert Spillane as well as rookie safety Craig Woodson. Selected by the Buccaneers in the second round of the 2018 draft, Davis started 75 out of 76 appearances during his tenure with the organization that took him No. 63 overall. The Auburn product handled 324 tackles along with three forced fumbles, four fumble recoveries and nine interceptions over that span. A Super Bowl LV champion, he departed for the Detroit Lions in a 2024 trade that saw two sixth-round picks and a third-rounder change hands.
