Report: Patriots Sign Former Bucs LB to Free-Agent Deal

The New England Patriots won’t stop with their roster changes. Head coach Bill Belichick and his squad are willing to do whatever it takes to build the best roster. This time the Patriots decided to sign a Bucs LB, and experts approve the move.

New England claimed linebacker Jack Cichy off waivers from the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Here’s more info on the talented player

Jack Cichy‘s Vitals
Position: Linebacker
Personal information
Born: May 5, 1996 (age 24)
Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Height: 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)
Weight: 234 lb (106 kg)
Career information
High school: Hill-Murray School
College: Wisconsin
NFL Draft: 2018 / Round: 6 / Pick: 202
Career history
Tampa Bay Buccaneers (2018–2020)
New England Patriots (2020-present)
Roster status: Active
Career NFL statistics as of Week 1, 2020
Total tackles: 6
Sacks: 0.0
Forced fumbles: 0
Fumble recoveries: 0
Interceptions: 0

Patriots sign the Bucs LB to test his skills

NFL experts really loved Cichy’s football intelligence. However, the lack of athleticism and elite size affected his chances in the league.

Bleacher Report’s draft expert Matt Miller listed some of Cichy’s positives and negatives when the Bucs signed him.

POSITIVES

—Was on path to be four-year contributor at big-time school suggesting coaching staff saw all necessary traits.

—Doesn’t waste time getting lower half into motion once he’s committed to a read.

—Instincts and processing skills are above-average and put him in the right spot more often than not.

—Productive blitzer who shows solid hand usage to keep himself clean in traffic.

NEGATIVES

—Missed second half of 2016 with pec injury and missed all of 2017 with knee injury.

—Limited athlete who wins by being correct and can struggle to even compete if his instincts are wrong.

—Average height but routinely plays high and upright; will struggle to routinely win leverage.

—Limited playing time makes him even more of a projection than most.

—Two-down linebacker who will be exposed by skill players in space at the next level.

Cichy was a special teams contributor for the Bucs. He will probably have the same role with Belichick’s team should he be added to the active roster.

New England may be just taking a look at Cichy to see if they can use him as “a sleeper contributor.” He has to clear COVID-19 protocol before joining his teammates.

Patriots players and coaches have a road game on the schedule. They will play against the Los Angeles Chargers at SoFi Stadium. Winning this game is really important as it would bring the team back to .500 on the regular season. New England hasn’t hit this spot since Week 4.