Overview
- The Patriots agreed to a one-year contract with guard Greg Van Roten, a deal first reported Monday and finalized this week to shore up interior line depth.
- The signing follows injuries to reserve interior linemen Ben Brown and Andrew Rupcich that left New England short on experienced backups after the preseason opener.
- Reports put the contract at about $3 million base with signing, roster and playing-time incentives that could push total compensation toward $4.5 million.
- New England opened a roster spot for Van Roten by waiving tight end Mitch Van Vooren and integrated Van Roten into practices ahead of joint sessions and the preseason game on Saturday, Aug. 22.
- Van Roten brings proven availability and versatility — roughly 144 games and 105 starts with recent full-season work at guard and spot snaps at center — while younger players such as Jacob Rizy, James Hudson and rookie Caleb Lomu remain under evaluation.