Patriots activate offensive tackle Calvin Anderson from non-football injury list
BOSTON -- The Patriots are getting a much-needed reinforcement on the offensive line.
The team activated Calvin Anderson off the non-football injury list on Tuesday, ahead of the 4 p.m. deadline teams have to trim rosters to 53 players.
Anderson, 27, was placed on the NFI before training camp began. He signed with the Patriots in March, after spending the previous three seasons with Denver, and he participated in June minicamp.
Anderson started seven games at left tackle last year for Denver, playing in 14 games and allowing just two sacks on 439 snaps played. He also didn't get penalized for holding. A year prior, he started three games at left tackle while playing in 11, allowing zero sacks and taking zero penalties. Likewise in 2020, Andeson allowed zero sacks and committed zero penalties while playing in 16 games (with two starts -- one at each tackle position).
Previously, Anderson entered the league as an undrafted free agent with the Patriots in 2019. He was later released and signed to the Jets' practice squad before the Broncos signed him later that year.
Anderson figures to be a potential Week 1 starter at right tackle, given the disorganized state of that spot on the offensive line. Anderson and Riley Reiff were signed in the offseason to compete with Conor McDermott for the job, but Reiff was moved to guard for poor play at tackle before suffering an injury in the preseason finale, and McDermott has been missing for several weeks due to injury.
The Patriots acquired Tyrone Wheatley Jr. and Vederian Lowe over the weekend to help add some tackle depth, but the Anderson activation represents the more significant move in that area.
