Patriots officially sign ex-Blue Bombers offensive lineman Drew Desjarlais to futures contract

The New England Patriots officially signed former CFL offensive lineman Drew Desjarlais to a futures contract on Thursday, according to the NFL transaction wire.

Desjarlais had visited the organization on Wednesday after his release from the Winnipeg Blue Bombers.

The 24-year-old previously was in Foxborough on Jan. 3 for a workout, and had upwards of a dozen scheduled around the league.

Selected in the first round of the 2019 CFL draft at No. 4 overall, Desjarlais appeared in 32 games across two seasons with the Blue Bombers while winning consecutive Grey Cups. He started all 14 games at left guard in 2021 on the way to being named a CFL Western All-Star.

The University of Windsor product attended rookie minicamps with the New York Giants and Pittsburgh Steelers prior to his arrival in Winnipeg.

TSN’s Farhan Lalji reported Tuesday that Desjarlais, listed at 6-foot-2, 314 pounds, was expected to sign a futures pact with New England. The native of Belle River, Ontario now becomes the third offensive lineman to do so, following Will Sherman and Arlington Hambright.

Running back Devine Ozigbo, wide receivers Malcolm Perry, Tre Nixon and Kristian Wilkerson, defensive tackle Daniel Ekuale and kicker Quinn Nordin have also reached futures agreements with the Patriots.