Recently, the New England Patriots brought in free agent defensive tackle Sedrick Ellis for a visit.
First reported by Tom Curran of Comcast SportsNet New England, the visit was the first substantial visit for the former first-round draft pick. Ellis was selected seventh overall in the 2008 NFL Draft by the New Orleans Saints. The sixth year vet has tallied 70 starts in his career but has also become viewed as one of the biggest busts of the 2008 draft class due to spotty defense against the run and tallying just 12.5 sacks in his first five seasons. And after his visit to the Patriots last week, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN, Ellis will be visiting both the Lions and Bears this week.
Bust or not, Patriots head coach Bill Belichick has a pretty strong track record of turning around careers and finding players who can play in his system. Not to mention he could use the depth.
After cutting veterans Kyle Love and Brandon Deaderick, the Patriots have been left thin at defensive tackle and could use a veteran like Ellis in their rotation.
To the eye it may look like the Patriots have plenty of depth at defensive tackle with six players currently on the roster at that position. However, four of those six players are undrafted free agents: Dewayne Cherrington, Cory Grissom, Joe Vellano, and Armond Armstead.
Armstead is listed as an undrafted free agent but is actually joining the team after spending the previous season playing for Toronto Argonauts 
of the Canadian Football League (CFL). Armstead played at USC from 2008-2010 before the school declared him medically ineligible after suffering a heart attack that, Armstead proclaims was a result from taking Toradol, a painkiller, which was prescribed by the school’s medical team. In his one season in the CFL, Armstead 43 tackles and six sacks and was named to the CFL East All Star team.
The Patriots already have Pro Bowler Vince Wilfork and added 10-year veteran Tommy Kelly earlier in free agency, a player who Belichick has spoken very highly of in the past.
It will be interesting to see if Ellis is added to the roster. He hasn’t received much of any attention so far in free agency but with OTAs still underway and mini camp right around the corner, it just takes one injury somewhere for a team to call. We’ve seen it before, we’ll see it again.
