Significant news this morning as the Patriots released (PM update: traded to Redskins) Bryan Stork, their third-year center who started Super Bowl 49 for them. I can’t say this is a total surprise, as earlier this week I projected Stork to be cut with David Andrews winning the starting center job. This was one of the most interesting starter battles in training camp.
Wow. #Patriots didn’t cut C Bryan Stork after all… they traded him to the #Redskins, source said. That was unexpected.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) August 24, 2016
Stork showed a lot of promise as a rookie, but has had four concussions (at least) in his first two years. He was also a little unpredictable, taking a unnecessary swing at one of the Bears last week in joint practices and getting kicked out of practice. When the Patriots jettisoned Logan Mankins, Stork brought hope that another bearded mauler would rise from the ashes. In 2014, he largely lived up to that.
Brady had gotten into it with Stork for not knowing the line checks. Andrews is more cerebral, knows plays in & out. https://t.co/mZjohQAJEK
— Jeff Howe (@jeffphowe) August 24, 2016
But ultimately Andrews was just the more steady of the two, staying healthy and under control. Jeff Howe of the Boston Herald also reported that Andrews was Brady’s favorite of the two. So now the job is Andrews, and he’ll be backed up by Josh Kline and perhaps rookie Ted Karras who has also taken snaps at center.
The Pats also cut Nate Washington, which could be packaged with the Donald Brown cut from earlier this week. Both players were the kind of free agents the Patriots give chances to, to see if maybe they can find some magic in New England near the end of the career. Neither could and both were jettisoned with enough time to potentially catch on with another team.
Things are starting to shape up as the Pats’ roster now stands at 79. They’ll have to get down to 75 on August 30th, but have some flexibility should they want to bring anyone in for a look before then.