FOXBOROUGH, Mass. - The New England Patriots announced today that they have signed rookie free agent FB Henry Poggi. In addition, the Patriots released veteran WR Jordan Matthews.
Poggi, 23, was originally signed by the Oakland Raiders as a rookie free agent out of Michigan on May 7, 2018. He was released by the Raiders on June 22, 2018. The 6-foot-4, 257-pounder began his college career as a defensive lineman, before moving to tight end and then to fullback. During his college career, he appeared in 44 games with 17 starts - four at tight end and 13 at fullback.
Matthews, 26, signed with New England as an unrestricted free agent from Buffalo on April 6, 2018. The 6-foot-3, 212-pounder is a veteran of four NFL seasons with the Philadelphia Eagles (2014-16) and the Buffalo Bills (2017). Matthews originally entered the NFL as a second-round draft pick (42nd overall) by Philadelphia in the 2014 NFL Draft out of Vanderbilt. He was traded from Philadelphia to Buffalo along with a third-round draft pick on Aug. 11, 2017, in exchange for CB Ronald Darby. Matthews has played in 56 NFL games with 42 starts and has 250 receptions for 2,955 yards and 20 touchdowns. Last season with Buffalo, Matthews played in 10 games with seven starts and finished with 25 receptions for 282 yards with one touchdown before finishing the season on injured reserve.
