According to ESPN's Adam Schefter, the Patriots reached an agreement with five-time Pro Bowl guard Brian Waters. Reports surfaced throughout the day on Saturday that Waters was in Foxborough and given the team's dire situation at right guard the move makes a lot of sense.
Starter Dan Connolly left the Lions games two weeks ago with an ankle injury. That came with top backup, Ryan Wendell, already dealing with a calf problem that kept him out of the entire preseason. Rich Ohrnberger was placed on injured reserve yesterday, so his services will be lost of the season. Thomas Austin, a first-year player who made strides while on the practice squad last year, was released as part of the final cuts.
The Patriots were already trying to replace the underrated Stephen Neal at right guard and now have been forced to dig deep before the season even gets underway. Waters, a 34-year-old ex-Kansas City Chiefs star, should provide a quality option for Bill Belichick.
New England will need to make a roster move to create a spot for Waters once the deal is made official. These types of roster manipulations are nothing new to Belichick in the days leading up to the season, and more can be expected before next Monday night.
