New England Patriots - NESN.com
The New England Patriots made an addition to their practice squad on Thursday in the form of a player they released in August. He also happens to be a former standout at Boston College.
Per The Draft Network’s Justin Melo, New England is re-signing offensive lineman Jack Conley to the practice squad.
Initially signed by the Patriots in April as an undrafted free agent, Conley was waived on August 26 as part of New England’s initial roster cuts.
Conley is a native of New Canaan, Connecticut. He played tackle during the preseason for the Patriots, despite most of his college experience coming at guard. Apparently, that sort of versatility impressed the Patriots’ staff, if Conley’s college career already hadn’t.
Conley made All-ACC Honorable Mention last year for Bill O’Brien’s BC Eagles. In speaking to New England Football Journal’s John Sarianides back in April, Conley expressed joy at getting the opportunity to play for his hometown team.
“It is unbelievable,” Conley said. “I actually grew up with the Patriots and my whole family did, so it really is like, not to be cliche. It’s a dream come true for sure, to be able to be a part of the Patriots. I’m just really excited to get it going and I’m excited to compete and get in there and work. I think Coach Vrabel and the whole staff has a really good thing going. I’m really excited for the future of the franchise.”
Conley also spoke about how Boston College’s connection to the Patriots organization helped him get his opportunity, as did his excellent pro day showing.
“I think it definitely helped, just being comfortable, with each other throughout the whole process, you know, at the pro day and then at the local day where I was also there and spent a bunch of time with their staff,” Conley said, per Sarianides. “You know they’ve seen me play on film and stuff and in person. So I think that helped a lot with just the familiarity and I worked with Coach (Doug) Marrone a lot, so I’m excited to keep working with them. It is awesome. I think it’s helped out a lot.”
The addition of Conley shows that the Patriots aren’t messing around with their O-line depth. Protecting Drake Maye is of paramount importance for this offense to be at its best, and New England wants to ensure that it has multiple options to shore up the line if and when injuries or under-performance happen in the coming weeks.
