By Matt Dolloff, 985TheSportsHub.com
A strange coincidence (we think) continued to hit the Patriots on Monday. Offensive lineman J.J. Dielman, who literally signed with the team two days ago, has instead decided to retire, according to Field Yates.
Dielman, originally a fifth-round pick to the Bengals in 2017, becomes the third (!!!) offensive lineman to call it a career instead of staying in a Patriots uniform.
Brian Schwenke, who spent much of the 2018 season on the Patriots’ 53-man roster and was activated for three games, was recently placed on the reserve/retired list just before the start of training camp. Free-agent addition Jared Veldheer also retired earlier in the offseason, just eight days after signing. Veldheer cited hip problems as one of the main reasons that he decided to step away from football.
It’s unclear what caused Dielman to retire when he was literally signing a contract to play just two days ago. All we know is that signing an O-lineman is no sure thing for the Patriots these days.
Here’s a rough estimation of the depth chart on the Patriots’ offensive line at all positions so far.
Left Tackle: Isaiah Wynn, Dan Skipper, Cedrick Lang
Left Guard: Joe Thuney, Ted Karras, Hjalte Froholdt
Center: David Andrews, Karras, James Ferentz, Tyler Gauthier
Right Guard: Shaq Mason, Froholdt
Right Tackle: Marcus Cannon, Skipper, Lang
Third-year lineman Cole Croston and third-round pick Yodny Cajuste both figure in to the competition for backup spots too, but both have started training camp on the shelf.
Hopefully there will be no other surprise retirements this summer.
Matt Dolloff is a digital producer for 985TheSportsHub.com. Any opinions expressed do not necessarily reflect those of 98.5 The Sports Hub, Beasley Media Group, or any subsidiaries. Have a news tip, question, or comment for Matt? Follow him on Twitter @mattdolloff or email him at matthew.dolloff@bbgi.com.