FOXBOROUGH, Mass. – The New England Patriots announced that they have signed free agent OL J.J. Dielman. Terms of the contract were not announced.
Dielman, 25, originally entered the NFL as a fifth-round draft pick (176th overall) in the 2017 NFL Draft by the Cincinnati Bengals out of Utah. The 6-foot-5, 309-pounder was released by Cincinnati prior to the start of the 2017 season and was claimed off waiver by the Los Angeles Rams. After one week on the Rams active roster he was released and signed to the Cincinnati practice squad. Dielman was signed by Denver to the 53-man roster from the Bengals practice squad on Dec. 16, and was inactive for the final two games of the season. He was released by Denver on Sept. 11, 2018, and spent portions for the rest of the season on the Seattle Seahawks and Rams practice squads. He has not appeared in an NFL game.
Dielman started 31 consecutive games (26 at right tackle; five at center) for Utah before suffering a season-ending foot injury his redshirt senior season. He also started 13 games as a junior at right tackle, earning second-team All-Pacific 12 Conference honors.
