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Patriots reportedly sign wide receiver Jalen Hurd, former Navy captain to fill out 90-man roster
Jalen Hurd was a former third-round pick by the 49ers, but has not taken a snap in the NFL due to injuries.
With the start of training camp right around the corner, the Patriots filled out the final two spots on their 90-man roster on Monday.
According to The Score’s Jordan Schultz, the Patriots signed wide receiver Jalen Hurd, a former third-round pick whose career has been derailed by injuries.
Hurd, a 6-foot-5 wideout who was taken 67th overall in the 2019 NFL Draft by the 49ers, has not played a single snap in the NFL.
After missing his rookie campaign due to a back injury, Hurd suffered a torn ACL in training camp back in 2020 that ended his campaign for a second-straight year. In 2021, another knee injury landed him on injured reserve before eventually getting released by San Francisco that November.
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Hurd didn’t play during the 2022 season, with the dynamic collegiate playmaker looking for a clean slate in New England. It remains to be seen if the 27-year-old Hurd can remain on the field, but he does give the Patriots both size and yards-after-catch capabilities in what is already a crowded receiver room.
Once a bruising running back at Tennessee who rushed for 20 touchdowns over 33 games with the Volunteers, Hurd transferred to Baylor in 2018 and converted to wide receiver. In his lone season with the Bears, Hurd caught 69 balls for 946 yards and four touchdowns.
The Patriots, who once hosted Hurd for a pre-draft visit in 2019, could see if Hurd slots in back at his natural position at running back, given the need for reinforcements behind Rhamondre Stevenson.
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Along with Hurd’s reported signing, the Patriots also announced Monday that they signed former Navy linebacker Diego Fagot ahead of camp.
Fagot (pronounced fuh-GO), signed with the Baltimore Ravens as a rookie free agent in May 2022 before being released that August. He was a three-year starter at Navy and was named a senior captain in 2021.
The 25-year-old linebacker recorded 282 tackles in 47 games (35 starts) for the Midshipmen. Fagot is expected to serve as linebacker depth on the roster during training camp.
It comes as little surprise that Bill Belichick and the Patriots value a football player coming out of the Naval Academy. The Patriots already have a Midshipman on the roster in long snapper Joe Cardona, while Belichick’s father, Steve, was a longtime coach and scout at Navy.
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