Patriots special teams free agent workouts continue after bye
On Monday, the Patriots hosted five free agent long snappers for workouts at Gillette Stadium.
Oct 2, 2022; Green Bay, Wisconsin, USA; A New England Patriots helmet sits on the field during warmups prior to the game against the Green Bay Packers at Lambeau Field. Credit: Jeff Hanisch-USA TODAY Sports
Jeff Hanisch-USA TODAY SportsTwo weeks ago, the Patriots hosted four free agent punters for workouts at Gillette Stadium. The special teams workouts continued coming out of the bye week, but at a different position.
On Monday, the team had five free agent long snappers in for workouts. The group visiting was was veterans Tucker Addington, Turner Bernard, Thomas Fletcher, and Joe Fortunato, and rookie Anthony Ortiz.
(Click here to subscribe to Patriots Audio on 98.5 The Sports Hub.)
Fortunato is the veteran of the group, having first been on an NFL roster in 2017. He's spent time with the Colts, Cowboys, Packers, and Broncos, but only during the offseason or in a practice squad capacity.
Fletcher and Bernard have also been on NFL rosters. Fletcher won the Patrick Mannelly Award in 2020 as college football's best long-snapper while at Alabama. The Panthers took him in the sixth round of the 2021 NFL Draft, but he spent the entire on injured reserve with a hip injury before being released this summer. Bernard is also in his second season, and had a brief stint with the Minnesota Vikings.
Addington played professionally in the USFL this past spring with the Houston Gamblers. He went undrafted in the 2020 NFL draft out of Sam Houston State.
Ortiz was a Mannelly Award finalist at TCU last fall. He spent time with the Chicago Bears this spring.
Unlike the punter workouts, which seemed to be tied to the struggles of punter Jake Bailey, these meetings are more likely the Patriots keeping their 'emergency list' up-to-date rather than an indictment on current long snapper Joe Cardona. Cardona has played in all nine Patriots games this year, without any turnover worthy snapping miscues.
Alex Barth is a writer and 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. Thoughts? Comments? Questions? Looking for a podcast guest? Let him know on Twitter @RealAlexBarth or via email at abarth@985TheSportsHub.com.
