Patriots host group of 7 wide receivers, defensive backs for free agent workouts

As the new England Patriots gear up for their season opener against the Las Vegas Raiders this week, they're also taking a look at some current free agents. According to the NFL daily transaction wire the team hosted seven free agents for workouts on Tuesday.

The entire group of seven players is made up of all wide receivers and defensive backs. The wide receivers are Andrew Armstrong and Jakobie Keeney-James, and the defensive backs are Trey Dean, Malik Dixon-Williams, Tyron Herring, Doneiko Slaughter, and Major Williams.

Six of those seven players are rookies. The lone exception is Dean, who has been in the NFL for the last two years. A safety out of Florida, Dean was expected to be selected in the 2023 NFL Draft, but a poor combine saw him go undrafted. Prior to that draft Dean took part in the Shrine Bowl in which the Patriots' coaching staff ran one of the teams.

Since then Dean has spent time on the practice squads of the new York Jets, Kansas City Chiefs, and Cleveland Browns (where he overlapped with Mike Vrabel). This spring, he appeared in one game for the DC Defenders of the UFL.

Among the wide receivers, Armstrong was a standout at Arkansas last year. He recorded 78 catches for 1,140 yards and a touchdown in 11 games, earning him first-team All-SEC honors. Despite that he went undrafted, and spent the summer with the Miami Dolphins before being released as a part of final roster cuts.

This group also includes a few local prospects. Dixon-Williams was a multi-year starter at UConn, Keeney-James spent last year at UMass (after beginning his college career at Eastern Washington, where he was teammates with Efton Chism), and Herring played at Dartmouth before transferring to Delaware.

As of Tuesday evening the Patriots do have one open spot on the practice squad. The team released defensive tackle Jahvaree Ritzie earlier in the day.