On a day in which every team is paring down their roster, the Patriots have made an addition. Often on cutdown day, teams are keeping an eye on who other teams are releasing with an eye on possible claims.
Upon news that the Vikings were going to be waiving offensive tackle Walter Rouse (via Tom Pelissero of NFL Network), New England reached out and made a trade to acquire the third-year lineman, skipping the waiver wire altogether. Per NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, the Patriots will send a 2027 sixth-rounder in exchange for Rouse and a seventh-round pick in 2027.
Rouse came to the NFL as a sixth-round pick out of Oklahoma. He started his collegiate career at Stanford, where he became the Cardinal’s starting left tackle in only the second week of his true freshman season. He remained in the starting job on the blindside for all four years at Stanford then opted to take advantage of a fifth year of eligibility granted to players in school during the COVID-19-shortened 2020 season. He initially committed to transfer to Nebraska but flipped to the Sooners and started one final year at left tackle.
Rouse has been buried on the depth chart behind Christian Darrisaw and Brian O’Neill. Through two years in Minnesota, Rouse has only appeared in eight total games. In four of his seven game appearances this year, Rouse played a decent snap share on offense as a backup. The additions of free agent signing Ryan Van Demark and third-round Northwestern rookie Caleb Tiernan in the offseason seem to have pushed him off the roster.
Rouse adds to a decent stash of young talent in New England’s offensive line room. Behind starters Will Campbell and Morgan Moses, Rouse joins first-round rookie Caleb Lomu, sixth-round rookie Dametrious Crownover, and last year’s seventh-round tackle Marcus Bryant.