Patriots Acquire Tackle Tyrone Wheatley Jr. Ahead Of Roster Deadline

Three preseason games left the New England Patriots with more questions at offensive tackle.

The organization sought an answer leading up to the 53-man roster deadline, acquiring developmental depth in Tyrone Wheatley Jr. from the Cleveland Browns in exchange for running back Pierre Strong Jr.

The announced trade was first reported by NFL Media’s Ian Rapoport and is pending the passing of physicals.

Wheatley, the son of former New York Giants first-round pick and current Wayne State head coach Tyrone Wheatley Sr., went undrafted in 2020. A converted tight end who played collegiately at Michigan and Stony Brook, he moved to the offensive line while in The Spring League.

Stints with the Chicago Bears and Las Vegas Raiders followed before Wheatley joined Cleveland’s practice squad last September. The 26-year-old did so after visiting Gillette Stadium for a workout. He signed a futures contract in January and has yet to debut in the regular season.

This August, however, Wheatley played 98 offensive snaps between left tackle and right tackle and was penalized once. Pro Football Focus charted the 6-foot-6, 320-pound bookend for allowing one quarterback hit and two quarterback hurries in pass protection over that span.

His 95.6 run-blocking grade qualified for second among tackles around the league in the preseason.

“I think and we think that he’s still growing into his body,” Browns offensive line coach Bill Callahan told reporters of Wheatley during a press conference early in training camp. “He’s still making adjustments, making tweaks, but he’s really athletic. He’s shown the ability to get on the edge and pass protect against good speed rushers. Now it’s only a matter of putting it all together — his run technique, his pass technique — but really excited about what he brings in terms of swing value for us.”

Attrition at the tackle spots had coincided with unsteady play for the Patriots. It became the primary area of need over running back, where starter Rhamondre Stevenson is now complemented by veteran signing Ezekiel Elliott.

The summer arrival of the three-time Pro Bowler and two-time All-Pro pushed Strong further down the projected depth chart. Selected in the fourth round of the 2022 NFL draft at No. 127 overall, the FCS All-American out of South Dakota State appeared in 15 games as a Patriots rookie. He totaled 100 rushing yards and one touchdown on ten carries by campaign’s end, adding 42 receiving yards, 115 kickoff return yards and 31% of the workload on special teams.

In New England’s preseason finale against the Tennessee Titans, the 24-year-old Strong marked the third running back on the field at Nissan Stadium behind Kevin Harris and J.J. Taylor.

Active rosters around the league will go from 90 to 53 players by 4 p.m. ET Tuesday.