In the wake of the Matthew Judon trade, the New England Patriots signed a pair of young players to fill the void at the linebacker position.
On Tuesday, the Patriots announced that they have signed rookie Christian McCarroll as well as former CFL player Kobe Jones.
McCarroll was a Division II start at Grand Valley State, the same school that Judon went to. McCarroll was a star pass rusher with the Lakers. In 2023, he recorded 8 sacks and was named a consensus D-II All-American and the conference defensive lineman of the year. The 6-foot-2, 253-pound McCarroll was not selected in the 2024 NFL Draft.
As for Jones, he initially landed in the NFL as an undrafted free agent out of Mississippi State in 2021. He spent time with the Falcons, Dolphins and Titans as a rookie before heading to the Packers in 2022.
The 6-foot-3, 255-pound edge rusher spent time with the Packers and Panthers in 2023. He was primarily a practice squad player but was appeared in one game for each team after brief elevations to the active roster.
Jones last appeared with the Hamilton Tiger-Cats of the Canadian Football League, appearing in six games earlier this year.
