<\/p>\n
The New England Patriots signed seven members of the final practice squad to futures contracts as the offseason began Monday.<\/p>\n
Wide receiver John Jiles, offensive tackle Caleb Jones, defensive tackle Marcus Harris, linebacker Andrew Parker Jr., cornerback D.J. James, safety Mark Perry and kicker John Parker Romo have all been retained for 2025, the organization announced.<\/p>\n
Jiles, 24, initially joined the practice squad in September and returned in October. The 6-foot-3, 220-pound wideout entered the NFL with the New York Giants as an undrafted free agent in 2024. He caught two passes for 41 yards during his rookie preseason before being waived at the 53-man roster deadline. By way of Fort Scott Community College and Virginia Union, Jiles transferred to West Florida in 2023, finishing with 66 receptions, 16 touchdowns 1,255 yards for the Division II program.<\/p>\n
Jones, 25, signed to New England\u2019s scout team shortly after its formation. The 6-foot-9, 370-pound tackle entered the NFL as an undrafted free agent with the Green Bay Packers in 2022. He started his rookie year on the practice squad before logging stints on the 53-man roster and non-football illness list. Active for two games in 2023, Jones made his NFC North debut on special teams. The Indiana product was waived as part of the league\u2019s cutdown at the end of August.<\/p>\n
Harris, 24, signed in Foxborough in October after being selected by the Houston Texans in the seventh round of the 2024 NFL draft. He began the regular season on general manager Nick Caserio\u2019s practice squad upon clearing waivers in August. The 6-foot-4, 298-pound defensive lineman via Kansas and Auburn finished his collegiate career with 41 starts across 47 games. Harris had a hand in 126 tackles, including 31.5 for loss, along with 11.5 sacks and a pair of forced fumbles en route to the Reese\u2019s Senior Bowl and NFL Scouting Combine.<\/p>\n
Parker, 24, agreed to terms with the Patriots to begin December. The 6-foot, 235-pound linebacker entered the NFL as an undrafted free agent with the Jacksonville Jaguars in 2024. He was waived leading up to the 53-man roster deadline in August. Parker began his 55-game college run at Arkansas before transferring to Appalachian State in 2022. And in 2023, the redshirt senior recorded 114 tackles along with two sacks, two passes defended, one forced fumble and one fumble recovery.<\/p>\n
James, 23, landed on New England\u2019s practice squad midway through September. The 6-foot, 175-pound cornerback was chosen by the Seattle Seahawks in the sixth round of the 2024 draft at No. 192 overall and went unclaimed in August. From Oregon to Auburn, he appeared in 56 games and finished with 38 tackles, a pair of interceptions and a team-high 10 pass breakups last fall. The former second-team All-SEC selection ran the 40-yard dash in 4.42 seconds at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis.<\/p>\n
Perry, 23, also signed with the Patriots at the halfway point in September. The 6-foot, 213-pound safety went undrafted in 2024 after playing in 53 games between his stays at Colorado and Texas Christian. An All-Big 12 honorable mention who attended the East-West Shrine Bowl, Perry spent training camp with the Miami Dolphins. After being waived as part of the NFL\u2019s cutdown, he opened the fall on the practice squad in Houston.<\/p>\n
Romo, 27, was added to New England\u2019s practice squad as kicking depth behind incumbent Joey Slye in December. Undrafted in 2022, the product of Central Arkansas, Tulsa and Virginia Tech made previous stops with the New Orleans Saints, Detroit Lions, Chicago Bears, Minnesota Vikings and then-XFL\u2019s San Antonio Brahmas. He made four NFL appearances as an injury replacement earlier in 2024, going 11-of-12 on field goals and 7-of-8 on extra points.<\/p>\n
On the eve of Jerod Mayo\u2019s final game as head coach, the 4-13 Patriots promoted tight end Jack Westover, defensive end Truman Jones, linebacker Monty Rice and cornerback Miles Battle to the 53-man roster.<\/p>\n
That now leaves four unsigned from the last iteration of the practice squad, including wide receiver Alex Erickson and tight end Mitchell Wilcox. Both vested veterans reached the NFL limit in standard elevations Sunday at Gillette Stadium.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
The offseason officially began Monday in Foxborough.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":9412,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-9411","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-new-england-patriots"],"yoast_head":"\n