FOXBOROUGH, Mass. — Less than 48 hours before departing for the Land of a Thousand Lakes to participate in joint practices with the Minnesota Vikings, the New England Patriots have added some depth to their defensive line.
The Pats announced, on Sunday, the signing of rookie defensive end Jereme Robinson. Terms of the contracts were not announced.
In order to accommodate Robinson’s arrival, the Patriots released rookie safety Josh Minkins.
Robinson signed with the Chicago Bears as a rookie free agent out of Kansas after going unelected in April’s draft. The 6’3”, 263-pounder, was subsequently released by Chicago in late July. Robinson played in 53 games during his college career at Kansas and finished with 98 total tackles and 14 sacks.
A native of Montgomery, AL, Robinson shined his brightest during his senior season. The 25-year-old played and started all 12 games at defensive end. During that time, he compiled 22 tackles (16 solo, six assisted,) 5.5 sacks, 9.0 tackles-for-loss and two forced fumbles on the season. For his efforts, he earned an All-Big 12 Honorable Mention recognition.
Minkins was originally signed by New England as a rookie free agent out of Cincinnati in May, shortly after the conclusion of the 2024 NFL draft. The 6’2”, 207-pound defensive back began his career at Louisville (2020-23) before finishing his college career at Cincinnati in 2024. As a five-year contributor at Louisville and Cincinnati, Minkins appeared in 49 career games and made 132 tackles with four interceptions, serving as a starter in 2022 for the Cardinals and in 2024 for the Bearcats.
Both the signing of Robinson and Minkins’ release, cap a busy transactional day for New England. Earlier in the day, the Pats signed third-year running back Deneric Prince to a free agent contract ahead of their Sunday morning practice. In a corresponding move, undrafted free agent Lan Larison, who played a key role in the Pats 48-18 win on Friday at Gillette Stadium, was placed on injured reserve.
Larison had earned a great deal of offseason attention, due to his dual-threat capabilities. In his preseason debut on Friday, he finished just one yard behind starting back Rhamondre Stevenson for the team lead with 35 yards on seven carries. Larison also scored the Pats final touchdown of the night — a two-yard rush capping a nine-play, 65-yard drive.
The UC Davis product headed to the locker room shortly after scoring the touchdown at the 3:25 mark in the fourth quarter,. He was later spotted wearing a walking boot in the locker room, before undergoing further tests to determine the severity of the injury. Having been placed on IR prior to the start of the season, Larison will remain sidelined for the year.
