A look at the connections between New England and Washington.
NEW ENGLAND TIES
- Washington LB Vontae Diggs spent his college career at UConn, where he appeared in 46 games from 2014-17 and racked up 183 tackles.
- Washington TE Jordan Reed grew up in New London, Conn. and played at New London High School, leading the Whalers to a 2007 undefeated regular season.
- Washington G Tyler Catalina grew up in Holden, Mass. and attended Wachusett Regional High School. Catalina also spent part of his college career at Rhode Island from 2013-15 before transferring to Georgia.
WASHINGTON-AREA TIES
- Patriots OL Luke Bowanko grew up in Clifton, Va. and attended college at Virginia from 2009-13.
- Patriots LB Ja'Whaun Bentley is from Glenarden, Md., which is just five minutes from FedEx Field where Washington plays their home games.
- Patriots DB J.C. Jackson attended Maryland from 2016-17, recording 80 tackles, four interceptions and 13 passes defensed over his two seasons.
- New England CB Cyrus Jones grew up in Baltimore and was named the 2011 Maryland Gatorade Player of the Year.
- Patriots FB Henry Poggi grew up in Baltimore and was named co-defensive player of the year by the Baltimore Sun.
FORMER PATRIOTS
- Washington offensive coordinator Matt Cavanaugh played quarterback for the Patriots from 1978-82.
FORMER NFL TEAMMATES
- Patriots head coach Bill Belichick was the defensive coordinator and secondary coach for the Giants in 1990 while Washington offensive coordinator Matt Cavanaugh played quarterback for New York.
- Washington head coach Jay Gruden was offensive coordinator at the Cincinnati Bengals, running offenses that included Patriots RB Rex Burkhead (2013) and FB James Develin (2011) during his three-year stint.
- Patriots running backs coach Ivan Fears and Washington offensive coordinator Matt Cavanaugh were part of the same Chicago Bears offense in 1997-98. Fears coached the receivers while Cavanaugh worked as the offensive coordinator.
- Washington defensive coordinator Greg Manusky coached Patriots DL Lawrence Guy from 2012-13 on the Indianapolis Colts as the defensive coordinator. Manusky also was on the Colts with Patriots TE Dwayne Allen from 2012-15 and Patriots WR Phillip Dorsett in 2015.
- Patriots DL Lawrence Guy played with Washington LB Pernell McPhee for the 2014 season on the Baltimore Ravens.
- Patriots DE Adrian Clayborn played with Washington LB Mason Foster on the same defensive front for Tampa Bay in 2014.
- Patriots RB Mike Gillislee and CB Stephon Gilmore played with Washington LB Zach Brown on the Buffalo Bills for the 2016 season.
- Patriots CB Stephon Gilmore and WR Chris Hogan played with Washington K Dustin Hopkins on Buffalo for the 2013 season.
- Patriots OL Luke Bowanko and Washington OL Tony Bergstrom briefly played together on the same line with the Baltimore Ravens in 2017 before Bergstrom was traded to Washington in October.
- Patriots WR Kenny Britt and LB Nicholas Grigsby played with Washington WR Brian Quick on the Los Angeles Rams in 2016. Britt also played with Washington C Demetrius Rhaney on the Rams from 2014-16, while Grisgby was teammates with the duo for the 2016 season.
- Patriots WR Kenny Britt played with Washington LB Zach Brown for Tennessee in 2012 and 2013. Brown also anchored the Titan defense with Patriots CB Jason McCourty from 2012-15.
- Washington DB Kenny Ladler played with Patriots CB Stephon Gilmore and WR Chris Hogan for the Bills in 2014.
- Patriots OL James Ferentz played with Washington RB Kapri Bibbs on the Denver Broncos for the 2015 and 2016 seasons. The duo, along with Washington TE Vernon Davis, were a part of the Broncos Super Bowl 50 championship team in 2015.
- Washington DB D.J. Swearinger Sr. played with Patriots OL Ulrick John on the Arizona Cardinals for the 2016 season.
- Patriots OL Matt Tobin played with Washington WR Paul Richardson Jr. on the Seattle Seahawks for the 2017 season.
- Patriots QB Brian Hoyer played with Washington DL Phil Taylor Sr. on the Cleveland Browns for the 2013 and 2014 seasons.
- Patriots WR Cordarrelle Patterson played with Washington T T.J. Clemmings from 2015-16 on the Minnesota Vikings.
- Patriots OL Ulrick John played with Washington LB Zach Vigil on Miami for the 2015 season.
- Washington QB Kevin Hogan played with a trio of Patriots during his time on the Cleveland Browns. Hogan suited up with Patriots DL Danny Shelton in 2016 and 2017, WR Kenny Britt for part of 2017 and CB Jason McCourty for the 2017 season.
- Washington TE Manasseh Garner played with a trio of Patriots during his time with the Buffalo Bills. Garner played with Patriots RB Mike Gillislee in 2015-16, CB Stephon Gilmore from 2015-16 and WR Chris Hogan in 2015.
- Washington LB Alex McCalister spent the 2016 season on injured reserve with the Philadelphia Eagles and was teammates with Patriots OL Matt Tobin. Washington RB Byron Marshall also spent 2016 on the Eagles with Matthews and Tobin.
- Washington DL Ziggy Hood played with Patriots QB Brian Hoyer on Pittsburgh in 2012. Hoyer was only a part of the Steelers for Weeks 12 and 13.
- Patriots QB Brian Hoyer and Washington G Shawn Lauvao played together on the Cleveland Browns for the 2013 season.
- Patriots QB Brian Hoyer and Washington LB Pernell McPhee played on opposite sides of the ball for the Chicago Bears during the 2016 season.
- Washington DB Prince Charles Iworah played with Patriots OL Trent Brown on San Francisco in 2016.
FORMER COLLEGE TEAMMATES
- New England CB Cyrus Jones, Washington WR Cam Sims and LB Shaun Dion Hamilton were teammates at Alabama for the 2014 and 2015 seasons. The trio also played with Washington DL Daron Payne in 2015. The teammates were all a part of the 2015 National Championship team. Washington DL Jonathan Allen also was a part of that championship team, playing with Jones from 2013-15 on one of the nation's stoutest defenses. Finally, Washington LB Ryan Anderson played with Jones from 2013-15 as part of the title team.
- Patriots RB Mike Gillislee played on the same offense as Washington TE Jordan Reed at Florida from 2010-12. The duo contributed to the 2011 Outback Bowl victory over Penn State.
- While at Florida, Washington LB Alex McCalister played with Patriots RB Mike Gillislee (2012), OL Trent Brown (2013-14) and DB Duke Dawson (2014-15).
- Washington DB Quinton Dunbar played with a trio of Patriots while at Florida. Dunbar began his time as a Gator playing with Patriots RB Mike Gillislee from 2010-12 before playing with OL Trent Brown from 2013-14 and capping his career playing with DB Duke Dawson in 2014.
- Patriots CB Stephon Gilmore played with Washington DB D.J. Swearinger Sr. on the same defensive unit at South Carolina from 2009-11.
- Patriots consultant to the head coach Bret Bielema, who was the head coach at Arkansas from 2013-17, coached Washington LB Martrell Spaight, TE Jeremy Sprinkle and OL Cameron Jefferson during their time as Razorbacks. Patriots tight ends coach Nick Caley also coached Spaight and Sprinkle in 2013 as a defensive graduate assistant at Arkansas. While at Arkansas, Spaight played with DL Trey Flowers and DL Deatrich Wise Jr. from 2013-14. Sprinkle also played at Arkansas with Flowers (2013-14) and Wise Jr. (2013-16). Jefferson played alongside Flowers and Wise in 2014 after transferring to Arkansas from UNLV.
- Washington TE Manasseh Garner played with New England RB James White at Wisconsin in 2010-11. Patriots consultant to the head coach Bret Bielema was head coach at Wisconsin at the time.
- Patriots OL Joe Thuney and Washington LB Jerod Fernandez were teammates on N.C. State for three seasons (2013-15) but only suited up together in 2014 and 2015 after Fernandez redshirted the 2013 season.
- Patriots TE Will Tye and Washington T Timon Parris played together at Stony Brook from 2013-14.
- Washington WR Trey Quinn played at LSU in 2014 and 2015 before transferring to SMU. While at LSU, Quinn was teammates with Patriots QB Danny Etling (2015), DL Frank Herron (2014, 2015) and RB Jeremy Hill (2014). Washington RB Derrius Guice also played at LSU from 2015-17, teaming up with Etling (2015-17) and Herron (2015-17) over his college career.
- Patriots DL Lawrence Guy played with Washington G Shawn Lauvao at Arizona State for the 2008 and 2009 seasons.
- Patriots Special teams coach Joe Judge worked as a graduate assistant at Mississippi State in 2007 while Washington LB Pernell McPhee was a freshman for the Bulldogs.
- Washington LB Josh Harvey-Clemons played with five different Patriots during his time at Georgia. On the defensive side of the ball, Harvey-Clemons teamed up with Patriots DL John Atkins from 2013-14). On offense, he played with C David Andrews (2013-14), RB Sony Michel (2014) and OL Isaiah Wynn (2014).
- Washington G Tyler Catalina spent his senior season at Georgia in 2016, playing with Patriots RB Sony Michel, OL Isaiah Wynn and DL John Atkins.
- Patriots DB Eric Rowe and Washington OL Tony Bergstrom played together at Utah for the 2011 season.
- Patriots DL Geneo Grissom played on the same defensive line as Washington DL Stacy McGee in 2011 and 2012 at Oklahoma. Washington P Tress Way was also a Sooner over that two year stretch, playing with both Grissom and McGee. Grissom also played with Washington RB Samaje Perine in 2014.
- Patriots OL Luke Bowanko teamed up with Washington T Morgan Moses at Virginia from 2010-13.
- Patriots LB Nicholas Grigsby, CB Ryan Lewis and Washington T T.J. Clemmings all played together at Pittsburgh. Grigsby played with Clemmings from 2011-14 while Lewis joined the team a season later and played with him from 2012-14. Washington TE Manasseh Garner also played with Grigsby (2014) and Lewis (2013-14).
- Washington G Brandon Scherff played with five different Patriots during his collegiate career at Iowa. Scherff teamed up with DE Adrian Clayborn in 2010, OL James Ferentz from 2010-12, OL Matt Tobin from 2010-12, WR Riley McCarron from 2012-14 and OL Cole Croston from 2012-14.
- Patriots DB Jordan Richards played with Washington QB Kevin Hogan at Stanford from 2011-14.
- Patriots TE Dwayne Allen played at Clemson with Washington DL Tavaris Barnes Sr. for the 2010 and 2011 seasons.
- Washington DB Kenny Ladler played at Vanderbilt with Patriots WR Jordan Matthews (2010-13), DL Adam Butler (2012-13) and RB Ralph Webb (2013).
- Washington RB Byron Marshall played his college ball at Oregon, teaming up with Patriots DB Eddie Pleasant in the 2011 season.
- Washington C Chase Roullier played at Wyoming with Patriots TE Jacob Hollister from 2014-16.
- Washington DB Joshua Holsey played at Auburn in the same secondary as Patriots DB Jonathan Jones (2012-15) and LB Brandon King (2013-14).
- Washington DB Fabian Moreau played with Patriots WR Darren Andrews at UCLA from 2013-16.
- Washington WR Robert Davis played with Patriots OL Ulrick John at Georgia State in 2013. The duo makes up two of the three players to be drafted in school history.
- Washington LB Pete Robertson played with Patriots OL LaAdrian Waddle at Texas Tech in 2011 and 2012.
