Patriots Rumors: New England Inks Free Agent Defensive Lineman

The New England Patriots planned to make a few more changes prior to training camp and head coach Bill Belichick is down to business. The Patriots brought new names to their roster this offseason. Belichick made unexpected selections in the draft. The Patriots will soon enter training camp and they have just signed a free agent defensive lineman.

Belichick is adding a depth piece to his defense and this is actually a really smart move. According to several reports, the Patriots inked former United States Football League defensive lineman Jeremiah Pharms Jr. Pharms’ agency, Overtime Sports Management Group, LLC, confirmed the signing.

Signing Pharms is a really smart move. He is a versatile interior lineman who did 22 tackles and two sacks for the Pittsburgh Maulers this past spring. The talented player joined the NFL as the seventh pick of the 26^th round in the USFL draft in February.

Pharms, 6’ 3’’ and 301 pounds, spent his first professional season with the Wichita Force of the Champions Indoor Football League. He went to the San Joaquin Delta College first and then moved to the Friends University in the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA).

Patriots sign the free agent to add depth to their defense

If you are interested in Pharms’ background, you should definitely know that his father, Jeremiah Sr. was a fifth-round pick for the Cleveland Browns in the 2001 NFL season. Things were really rough back in the days and he didn’t see any action on the NFL field.

The Patriots need all the help they can get at this point. They ranked 22^nd in rushing yards allowed and 25^th in opposing yards per carry in 2021. Of course, players had some issues with the setting of the edge. They also lacked a real pass rush presence on the interior.

Pharms may not be a big deal for the Patriots, but he can get after the quarterback right away. He can still provide great competition to the Patriots pass rush in training camp.
Belichick has 86 players at the moment. Pharms joins a group of great players, including fellow defensive linemen Christian Barmore, Lawrence Guy, Davon Godchaux, Deatrich Wise Jr, Henry Anderson, Byron Cowart, Daniel Ekuale, Carl Davis, Bill Murray, Sam Roberts and LaBryan Ray.