New England took a look at two free agents this week.

The New England Patriots offensive line received a boost this week: former first-round draft pick Cole Strange, a 27-game starter at left guard who also might factor into the center mix, returned to practice on Wednesday. It was his first time back on the field since tearing his patellar tendon last December.

What the future has in store for Strange, and how quickly he can return to game shape, will be seen. That uncertainty might be why New England keeps looking for help along the offensive line even with...

Thornton joined the Chiefs following his recent release from the Patriots.

Former second-round draft pick Tyquan Thornton never worked out with the New England Patriots, leading to his eventual release last week. Since then, he has joined the Kansas City Chiefs practice squad and promptly earned some praise from his new quarterback.

“Obviously, in season haven’t watched a ton of film on him, but just from the highlights that I have seen: a ton of big-play ability,” Patrick Mahomes told reporters on Wednesday.

“Someone that has a big frame. I didn’t realize how tall he was until he got in...

BOSTON — Drake Maye showed the New England Patriots that they succeeded in the most important area of their rebuild: They found their quarterback of the future.

Maye’s arm talent, mobility and emerging leadership intangibles made the rookie a beacon of hope for a New England squad. He’s done enough to catch the attention of a number of champions from the dynasty days for the Patriots, including Rob Gronkowski.

“I appreciated and supported them holding him out and doing that so he could develop and learn,” Gronkowski told reporters at “The Tradition” Wednesday night at TD Garden. “I feel like...

Jerod Mayo wasn’t at the helm of the New England Patriots when they made the head-scratching decision to select Tyquan Thornton in the second round of the 2022 NFL Draft.

But the first-year head coach was left to give his thoughts on the Patriots releasing the struggling wide receiver this past Saturday.

“I think there was a lot of love for Tyquan,” Mayo told reporters Wednesday, per team-provided transcript. “Obviously, he’s a fast receiver, and he did a lot of things right. In saying that, we’re always trying to do what’s best for our football team.”

Mayo took the high...

The New England Patriots received some good news Wednesday, but it didn’t come without plenty of follow-up questions.

Cole Strange returned to practice, marking his first time back in a competitive environment since suffering a torn patellar tendon last December. New England kept him on the physically unable to perform list for nearly five months, but ultimately decided it was time to open his three-week return window.

Strange now will try to work his way back into the starting lineup, where he has plenty of options to earn a job.

“I think just going through the individual drills and seeing...

Football fans around New England might not have any idea who Phil Longo is, but Patriots rookie quarterback Drake Maye sure does.

Longo, the recently fired offensive coordinator of the Wisconsin Badgers, served as Maye’s offensive coordinator during his sophomore season with the North Carolina Tar Heels. Maye’s breakout campaign earned him a school record in passing yards and saw him finish first in the ACC in passing touchdowns.

Longo is now without a job after a struggle-filled stretch in Wisconsin.

How does that impact the Patriots? If New England wants want to cater to Maye, it has an opportunity...

The Patriots will travel to Miami in NFL Week 12.

The New England Patriots will be back on the road in Week 12, but still find themselves in familiar territory: they will take on their division rival Dolphins at Miami’s Hard Rock Stadium on Sunday.

Seven weeks after the two clubs’ first meeting they will therefore meet again. Of course, a lot has changed since Miami’s 15-10 victory in Week 5: instead of Jacoby Brissett vs. Tyler Huntley, this week’s game will see the Drake Maye-led Patriots take on the Tua Tagovailoa-led Dolphins.

Kickoff between the two games is scheduled...

The first injury report heading into Week 12 at Hard Rock Stadium.

The New England Patriots began AFC East work on the Miami Dolphins without four.

Offensive tackle Vederian Lowe, defensive end Deatrich Wise Jr. and defensive tackles Jaquelin Roy and Christian Barmore did not participate in Wednesday’s partially-padded practice in Foxborough.

But starting interior lineman Cole Strange returned, opening his 21-day window to be activated off the physically unable to perform list after seeing his 2023 season end with a torn patellar tendon last December.

“Oftentimes those things get looked over, but it is a journey,” head coach Jerod...

The Patriots saw a key member of their offensive line return to practice on Wednesday, but that unit is still in pretty rough shape.

It’s been that kind of season at One Patriot Place.

New England revealed that interior offensive lineman Cole Strange (knee) returned to practice in a limited capacity Wednesday, but that offensive tackle Vederian Lowe (shoulder) and defensive linemen Jaquelin Roy (neck) and Deatrich Wise Jr. (foot) all missed practice.

Lowe has been a limited participant at best in recent weeks, with ankle, abdomen and shoulder injuries constantly keeping him on the injury report. The Patriots did...

The Patriots received some positive injury news on Wednesday.

Another week, another starting member of the New England Patriots returning to practice. After getting defensive tackle Christian Barmore back last week, the team welcomed offensive lineman Cole Strange to practice on Wednesday.

Strange, a first-round draft pick in 2022 and 27-game starter at left guard, had started the year on the physically unable to perform list after suffering a torn patellar tendon last December. With him trending in a positive direction throughout his recent recovery, however, it was only a question of “when” rather than “if” Strange would return.

On...

Two NFL head coaches already lost their jobs this season. Several others appear to have a foot out the door. With that in mind, talk has turned to who will fill those vacancies in 2025. Some experienced head coaches will be among the strongest candidates, including Bill Belichick. But as was seen in the 2024 […]

The post DeMarcus Covington Among Up-and-Coming Coaching Candidates appeared first on Patriots Football Now.

Henry played with Justin Herbert during his rookie season.

Throughout the draft process, Drake Maye was compared to some of the top quarterback’s in the league. One of those included Los Angeles Chargers gunslinger Justin Herbert.

Six starts into Maye’s career, nobody could compare the two better than tight end Hunter Henry, who’s last season in Los Angeles coincided with Herbert’s rookie season. So far, Henry agrees with the pre-draft player comps.

“There’s a lot of similarities in a lot of ways,” Henry said on Wednesday. “They’re different but they’re similar in a way too. I mean Justin’s a special...