When the New England Patriots placed fullback James Develin on the season-ending injured reserve, my first thought was that his replacement was in house. Whether it was tight end Michael Hoomanawanui, or Asante Cleveland, the Patriots have plenty of blockers on the roster to step up if called upon.
Bill Belichick might disagree because New England has played host to a fullback to see how they would fit on the squad.
Patriots are bringing former Bucs fullback Joey Iosefa (Hawaii) in Thursday for visit and workout. Team lost FB James Develin to broken leg.
— Greg Auman (@gregauman) September 2, 2015
The rookie Iosefa was the Buccaneers' 7th round pick and stands at 6'0, 250 lbs. Iosefa isn't an athletic marvel, but he is an experienced rusher and receiver out of the backfield. Iosefa suffered a foot injury at the start of his senior year and lost his captaincy due to a drunk driving charge.
Still, in his six games as a senior Iosefa averaged 27 touches a game (25 rushes and 2 receptions). He's a workhorse that offers potential at fullback with his running back combine-leading 30 reps at the bench press. Pro Football Focus believes that Iosefa has been below-average as a fullback with the Buccaneers, but perhaps Bill Belichick can find a way for the rookie to work out.
ESPN's Mike Reiss proposed a second name at fullback that could be called upon.
Random #Patriots personnel thought of day: With FB James Develin on IR, just-released FB Erik Lorig (Saints/Stanford) could be worth a look.
— Mike Reiss (@MikeReiss) September 2, 2015
The Patriots spent a week of joint practices with Lorig and could be interested in bringing him in for a look, especially if New England is willing to find a Develin replacement out-of-house.