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Three days prior to their preseason opener against the Green Bay Packers, the New England Patriots have been busy shuffling their roster. After releasing third-string quarterback Matt Flynn and subsequently signing third-string quarterback Ryan Lindley, New England has made another move.
According to NFL Network's Rand Getlin, the team has traded for guard Ryan Groy:
OG Ryan Groy has been traded from the #Bears to the #Patriots, per a source.
— Rand Getlin (@Rand_Getlin) August 10, 2015
The 24-year old Groy was signed as an undrafted rookie free agent by the Chicago Bears following the 2014 NFL Draft after having played his collegiate career in Wisconsin. While with the Badgers, Groy displayed some versatility and played as left tackle, left guard and center. In his rookie year with the Bears, he appeared in four games, starting three.
Without knowing the details of the trade, it seems as if the 6'5", 320 lbs Groy will likely be a depth option in New England. He offers a little experience, is versatile and has some upside, and enters a position group that includes incumbent starter Ryan Wendell (who is still on the Physically Unable to Perform list), third-year player Josh Kline and rookies Tre' Jackson and Shaq Mason, among others.
With Groy in the fold, the Patriots have to make a corresponding roster move to get back to the offseason limit of 90 players.
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UPDATE: According to Field Yates, the Patriots have traded 2015 sixth round pick linebacker Matt Wells to the Bears to get Groy:
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="de"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Source: the Patriots traded 2015 6th round LB Matthew Wells to Chicago in the trade for G Ryan Groy.</p>— Field Yates (@FieldYates) <a href="https://twitter.com/FieldYates/status/630790841313964032">August 10, 2015</a></blockquote>
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Even though Wells was far from a lock to make the roster, the move comes as a mild surprise because the linebacker depth chart behind starters Dont'a Hightower, Jamie Collins and Jerod Mayo has been a bit of a question mark as of late. Apparently, though, the team likes what it currently has at the position.