Elliott the latest August signing by the Patriots
FOXBOROUGH, Mass. — The Patriots’ acquisition of running back Ezekiel Elliott Monday was the latest example of NFL team-building being a yearround exercise. No matter the month, Bill Belichick has never been afraid to add to his roster.
That includes August, a time when most teams are locked in and looking forward to the regular season. As you can see from the list below, sometimes the late-summer pickup is successful in New England, and sometimes he isn’t.
Linebacker Roman Phifer was good-naturedly referred to as “Jinx” by many teammates because, over the first 10 years of his career, he never played in a postseason game. That all changed after he was acquired by the Patriots on Aug. 3.
He would go on to become one of the integral pieces of the defense for the next four seasons, winning three Super Bowls and making seven playoff starts along the way.
The Patriots dealt for massive nose tackle Ted Washington on Aug. 20. The veteran ended up playing a key role in the defense that season, starting 10 games. He wasn’t the only reason the Patriots went from being one of the worst teams in the league against the run to a top-five run defense, but it wasn’t coincidental.
In the end, he played out his one-year deal and ended up signing with the Raiders and then the Browns before calling it a career in 2007 at the age of 39.
Junior Seau announced his retirement Aug. 14 in an emotional press conference in Florida. Four days later, he was in Foxborough, signing with the Patriots.
The veteran linebacker would end up playing parts of the next four seasons with New England, and played in every game during the memorable 2007 season at the age of
38. He retired — this time for good — at the age of 40 following the 2009 season.
Vinny Testaverde had always been a Belichick favorite, and had spent a portion of the 2006 season with the Patriots when he signed a one-year deal. (One of the highlights from that season was a late-season touchdown pass to Troy Brown, a play on which the combined age of quarterback and wide receiver was 78 years old.)
Testaverde officially returned for a second stint Aug. 18, inking a one-year deal, but was released Sept.
1.
Future Hall of Famer John Lynch was looking to see if he could play one more season when he signed with the Patriots Aug. 13. While things started optimistically enough, it soon became clear the 37-year-old safety didn’t have much left.
The final sign was the sight of Lynch playing with third-stringers in the preseason finale against the Giants. He was ultimately released Sept. 1.
2009: Rob Ninkovich was a backup linebacker and part-time long snapper who had just been released by the Saints when he signed Aug. 2. The edge defender would play 15 games with the Patriots that season and finish with 23 tackles and one sack, but eventually found a groove the following year, becoming a starter at outside linebacker and eventually growing into an important part of two Super Bowl teams before retiring in 2017.
Wide receiver Reggie Wayne had been released by the Colts in March, and was undecided about his future when Belichick and the Patriots came calling. The veteran, who was 36 at the time, agreed to a one-year deal Aug. 24.
Like Lynch, however, it soon became clear there wasn’t much left for Wayne, who requested and was granted his release Sept. 5.
Nick Folk was signed by the Patriots on Aug. 24, and the 36-year-old would go on to record one of the finer runs by any kicker in the NFL over the next three seasons. Folk has hit on 89 percent of his field-goal attempts since he arrived in Foxborough, including a 94-for-102 rate from inside 49 yards.