Patriots Surprisingly Cut Offensive Lineman Who Started 11 Games

Continuity has not been a strength for the New England Patriots offensive line this season.

And more changes came to the struggling positional group Tuesday.

The Patriots announced they claimed guard Lester Cotton off waivers from the Miami Dolphins and in a corresponding roster move they surprisingly released guard Michael Jordan.

Jordan started the season on New England’s practice squad but quickly became a mainstay on the offensive line. He started 11 of 12 games, only missing the Patriots’ Week 4 matchup against the San Francisco 49ers. The 6-foot-6, 315-pounder played 100% of the team’s offensive snaps in five out of the last six games, including in Sunday’s 34-15 loss to the Miami Dolphins.

The Patriots may look to give rookie Layden Robinson more playing time following Jordan’s departure. Robinson, who was selected in the fourth round by the Patriots, started the first four games of the season but fell out of favor. He didn’t play the last two games, but was spotted taking reps at left guard in practice.

New England could also turn to Cole Strange to fill Jordan’s void. Strange returned to practice last week but hasn’t been activated off the physically unable to perform list due to a knee injury.

The Patriots have another option after claiming Cotton. The 28-year-old played 11 games for the Dolphins this season, but only suited up for 60 offensive snaps with most of his playing time coming on special teams. Cotton entered the NFL in 2019 with the Raiders as an undrafted free agent out of Alabama. He played in 42 regular-season games in his career with nine starts and has experience at both left and right guard.

With Jordan no longer around, the Patriots will have a different starting five protecting Drake Maye when they face the Indianapolis Colts on Sunday at Gillette Stadium.