Patriots Lineman JJ Dielman Retires Shortly After Signing With Team
By James.r
The New England Patriots can't seem to keep their offensive linemen from calling it quits.
Just two days after signing a contract with New England, the team's newest offensive line addition, JJ Dielman, announced his retirement from football. Dielman is the third Pats offensive lineman to call it a career so far this offseason.
Interior OL J.J. Dielman, recently signed by the Patriots, has decided to retire. He was originally a 2017 fifth round draft pick of the Bengals.
— Field Yates (@FieldYates) July 29, 2019
Dielman was drafted out of Utah in 2017 before bouncing around among the Bengals, Rams, Broncos, and Seahawks. He was active for just one regular season game in his career, and never played an NFL snap.
Dielman was a three-year starter at Utah, and he played in 31 consecutive games prior to a foot injury that ended his redshirt senior season. As a junior, he earned Second-Team All-Pac-12 honors for his performance at right tackle.
The Patriots have had three offensive linemen retire this offseason https://t.co/wEEzPVMwWi
— Mark Daniels (@MarkDanielsPJ) July 29, 2019
As Mark Daniels of the Providence Journal points out, the Patriots have seemingly been snake-bitten on the offensive line this offseason. Tackle Jared Veldheer retired just eight days after signing with the team in free agency, and guard Brian Schwenke, who spent three games on the club's active roster in 2018, was placed on the reserve/retired list just before the start of training camp.