When the New England Patriots selected Mac Jones with the 15th overall pick in last week’s NFL Draft, the team’s entire quarterback room was shaken up. Cam Newton and Jarrett Stidham were no longer guaranteed the top two spots on the depth chart, while third-stringer Jake Dolegala was pushed onto the thinnest ice imaginable.
Unsurprisingly, the Patriots parted ways with their former practice squad passer just one day after bringing Jones in: Dolegala was exposed to the waiver wire one day later. While that gave other teams the chance to pick him up, none pounced and the 24-year-old entered unrestricted free agency unclaimed.
Dolegala originally entered the league as a rookie free agent signing by the Cincinnati Bengals in 2019. While he did make the team’s 53-man roster, he never appeared in an actual game and was let go before entering his second season. The Central Connecticut product eventually ended up in New England and spent the majority of his 2020 campaign on the team’s practice squad.
Dolegala was signed to a futures contract in January, but lasted only three more months before his release. While he could return on speed dial, the expectation is that the Patriots will not bring him back unless they need another scout team QB.