MALCOLM PERRY CLAIMED BY PATRIOTS:
Just hours after after being waived by Dolphins, Perry claimed by Patriots
Less than 24 hours after being waived by the Miami Dolphins, former Navy football player Malcolm Perry was claimed by the New England Patriots on Wednesday.
The move shouldn’t be considered a surprise with legendary coach Bill Belichick’s lifelong connection to Navy football.
Also, Belichick, whose father was a longtime assistant coach and scout for the Navy football program, is well known for finding ways to utilize players with unconventional skill sets.
According to Mike Reiss of ESPN, the Patriots “heavily scouted” Perry prior to the 2020 NFL draft and were considering signing the former triple-option quarterback had he not been picked in the seventh round by the Dolphins.
Miami listed Perry as a running back on its roster, but primarily used him as a slot receiver. The 5-foot-10, 190-pound speedster appeared in nine games for the Dolphins and totaled 5 rushing yards on three carries along with 92 receiving yards on nine catches. Perry caught his first career touchdown pass against the Buffalo Bills in Week 17.
According to multiple reports, the Dolphins planned on signing Perry to the practice squad if he cleared waivers.
It is unclear how the Patriots will use Perry, whose 4,359 career rushing yards ranks second in Navy football history. New England has a history of fielding undersized slot receivers who developed into productive performers, notably Wes Welker and Julian Edelman.
Perry has often been compared to Edelman, who was a quarterback at Kent State before converting to receiver after being chosen by the Patriots in the seventh round of the 2009 NFL draft.
Perry joins 2015 Naval Academy graduate Joe Cardona on the New England roster. Cardona was taken by the Patriots in the fifth
round in 2015 and has been the team’s starting long snapper for the past seven seasons.
Belichick also signed former Navy fullback Eric Kettani as an undrafted free agent in 2009. After initially placing Kettani on the Military Reserve list, Belichick signed him to the practice squad in 2011.
However, the U.S. Navy recalled Kettani to active duty and he waited until February 2012 to re-sign with the Patriots.