The New England Patriots had a busy day on Tuesday. Not only did the team hold its second organized team activity practice, it also agreed to a two-year, $18 million contract extension with Super Bowl MVP Julian Edelman, and saw veteran offensive tackle Jarrett Veldheer decide to retire just eight days after joining the team. On top of it all, the Patriots also saw another one of their roster cuts get claimed off the waiver wire.
Offensive lineman Jake Eldrenkamp is now a member of the Indianapolis Colts. The Patriots parted ways with the 25-year-old on Monday to create a roster spot needed to re-sign defensive tackle Danny Shelton. While Eldrenkamp’s tenure in New England was a longer one than Veldheer’s, he still only spent two months with the team: he joined the squad when the new league year began on March 13 on the basis of a previously signed futures deal.
Eldrenkamp originally entered the NFL as an undrafted rookie signing by the Los Angeles Rams in 2017. He spent only one week of his rookie regular season with the Rams — he was on their practice squad before being let go again — but was re-signed in 2018 to compete in training camp. However, the Washington product failed to earn a roster spot and later found his way to the Cleveland Browns’ scout team. The interior offensive lineman was not re-signed by the team after its season had ended, which paved the way for him to come to New England.
Following his release and subsequent claiming by the Colts, Eldrenkamp now becomes the latest ex-Patriot to get plucked off the waiver wire: just last week, the New York Jets picked up wide receiver Xavier Ubosi (who has since been released again) and offensive tackle Calvin Anderson after they were let go by New England. Teams appear trust the Patriots’ talent evaluation, even though the world champions rarely let players go that turn into serious contributors elsewhere.