Patriots To Sign G Greg Van Roten

The defending AFC champions saw their top interior O-line backup — Ben Brown — leave the team’s preseason opener with an injury. Mike Vrabel then said (via MassLive.com’s Karen Guregian) Brown will be sidelined for at least the preseason’s remainder. That murky timeline brings a possible IR stay into the equation.

Van Roten will supply the Patriots with considerable experience; he has made 105 career starts and has not began a game as a backup since the 2022 season. Prior to starting the past 34 Giants games, Van Roten spent the 2023 season as a 17-game Raiders right guard starter. That Las Vegas stint is probably more notable than the New York stay, as third-stint Patriots OC Josh McDaniels was the Raiders’ HC when Van Roten joined the AFC West team.

In addition to Van Roten having played for six teams, he has made more career stops. The former UDFA had non-playing stints with the Seahawks and Jaguars. A stint with the CFL’s Toronto Argonauts relaunched Van Roten’s career, which saw him go four years without suiting up in an NFL game. The 2012 free agent did not see NFL action in 2014, 2015 or 2016 but completed one of this era’s more interesting career arcs by becoming a regular starter upon return.

A 27-game starter for the Panthers from 2018-19, Van Roten signed a three-year, $10.5MM deal with the Jets during the 2020 offseason. He started 23 games with the team over two seasons, but after his 2022 release, a string of one-year contracts followed. The Raiders turned to Van Roten as a starter despite giving him only $1.6MM to sign in May 2023. The Giants added him during the summer of 2024 — when it became clear Evan Neal‘s right tackle path was not panning out, leading to a training camp O-line reconfiguration — for $2MM. After providing some stability for Big Blue’s O-line that season, Van Roten re-signed for $3.25MM. Van Roten beat out Neal for the Giants’ RG job last year, and Pro Football Focus ranked him 34th at the position.

The Patriots have Michael Onwenu and Alijah Vera-Tucker in place as their starters; Vera-Tucker and Van Roten were the Jets’ guard starters in 2021. Even before Brown’s recent injury, the Patriots were believed to be looking for guard depth. Van Roten visited the team nearly two weeks ago.

A former UDFA, Brown started 14 games for the Pats over the past two seasons. Brown played exclusively at center in 2024 but spent most of his time (300 snaps) at LG last season. The Pats did not draft a guard or center this year, inviting some concern given Vera-Tucker’s extensive injury history. Van Roten will provide important depth behind his malady-prone ex-Jets teammate. A guard by trade, Van Roten has also logged center snaps, playing more than 130 there for the 2024 Giants and 2022 Bills.