The New England Patriots are reportedly signing veteran guard Greg Van Roten to a one-year deal, according to ESPN's Jeremy Fowler on Monday.
Van Roten entered the NFL as an undrafted free agent in 2012. He has carved out a solid role as a journeyman, bouncing around multiple teams for the last 15 years. The 36-year-old offensive lineman has started in 17 games in each of the last three seasons with the New York Giants and Las Vegas Raiders.
His arrival in New England is perfect timing given the injuries the team sustained at guard in last week's preseason game against the Indianapolis Colts. Veteran guard Ben Brown is out for multiple weeks, and Andrew Rupcich was placed on season-ending injured reserve.
Van Roten gives the unit some much-needed depth with starting experience. The Patriots' top offensive guards are Alijah Vera-Tucker and Mike Onwenu. Vera-Tucker has a long injury history, and the team couldn't go into the season without a viable backup plan.
Patriots coach Mike Vrabel even hinted at possibly working in rookie first-round draft pick Caleb Lomu at the guard position.
“Certainly could,” Vrabel said, when asked about Lomu playing at guard on Monday. “I think, what happens is, where do you feel like he can make the most strides. And you don’t want to derail the improvement that he’s making… I think Caleb’s been working hard. He’s been trying to improve. But I think at some point, we’ll need to do that as well.”
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This article originally appeared on Patriots Wire: Patriots reportedly signing veteran OL after injury bug hits