The New England Patriots filled out their 80-man training camp roster on Monday by signing veteran kicker Nick Folk and undrafted rookie defensive tackle Michael Barnett to free agency pacts. Despite the team having no open spots available at the moment, however, it is still looking for potential reinforcements: the Patriots had offensive linemen Jovahn Fair, Kevin Pamphile and Elex Woodworth in for tryouts on Monday.
Let’s take a closer look at the three men.
G Jovahn Fair
A four-year starter at Temple, the 6-foot-2, 310-pound guard appeared in 46 games over the course of his college career. Despite his experience, however, he did not hear his name called during this year’s draft and instead had to go the free agency route. The Kansas City Chiefs picked him up, but Fair was unable to carve out a role with the team before being released in late July. Fair joined the Cleveland Browns a short time later but again did not find a permanent home.
OT/G Kevin Pamphile
Pamphile originally arrived in the NFL as a fifth-round draft pick by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2014 and over his four seasons with the team earned regular playing time: he was on the field in 53 games, while starting 33 as both a left guard and right tackle. In 2018, the Purdue product decided to sign with the Tennessee Titans and promptly started two of his first three games with the team at left and right tackle, respectively. However, injuries effectively ended his career with the team as he did not see any additional playing time in both 2018 and 2019. The 29-year-old signed with the Washington Football Team earlier this year, but was released again last week.
G Elex Woodworth
Despite starting 45 of 48 in-game appearances at the University of North Texas and showing some solid versatility by playing both left guard and left tackle, Woodworth went unselected during the NFL’s draft earlier this year. The 6-foot-4, 290-pound offensive lineman did join the Houston Texans as a rookie free agent shortly afterwards, but he was released again as part of the team’s roster reduction from 90 to 80 players in late July.