The New England Patriots are looking into possibly adding to their linebacker corps. As was announced by the XFL on Friday, the team invited one of its players — Carson Wells — on a tryout basis.
The tryout took place on Thursday, according to a report by Doug Kyed of A to Z Sports.
Wells, 24, played college football at the University of Colorado. Primarily playing on the edge for the Buffaloes, the 6-foot-3, 241-pound defender appeared in 41 total games for the school. He registered 17.5 sacks and 154 tackles, one forced fumble, and also intercepted three passes — including one returned for a touchdown.
Despite putting up some solid numbers, Wells did not hear his name called in the 2022 NFL Draft. He ended up joining he Cincinnati Bengals as a rookie free agent, but was released after only one preseason game.
Wells was not immediately picked up by another team, and had to spend the 2022 on the free agency market. He did get another opportunity in January, when the St. Louis Battlehawks selected him in the ninth round of the XFL Supplemental Draft.
Making the move to middle linebacker, Wells saw action in ten games during the 2023 season with eight starts. He registered 3.5 sacks as well as 45 tackles.
Now, he is trying to make his return to the NFL — possibly with the Patriots. The team bringing him in for a tryout does make sense, given that its off-the-ball linebacker depth is a question mark even after adding versatile Sacramento State product Marte Mapu in the third round of this year’s draft. New England, after all, also recently lost Raekwon McMillan for the year due to a partially torn Achilles in practice.
At the moment, New England has two open spots on its 90-man roster. The team released rookie defensive tackle Justus Tavai on Friday and also processed the retirement of long-time starting safety Devin McCourty.
The team is currently holding its organized team activities, with the final four sessions set to take place June 5-6 and June 8-9. In addition, the Patriots’ mandatory minicamp will take place June 12-14.
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