Devin McCourty admittedly was “shocked” when New England released a fellow Patriots legend last week.
Even though David Andrews’ best years are behind him, McCourty thought his former teammate would at least have the opportunity to earn a spot on the Patriots’ 2025 roster. And even if Andrews didn’t make the team, the former star safety believes New England — and its most important player — could have benefited from having the longtime team captain around for the spring and summer.
“Even if Dave doesn’t make the roster at the end of training camp, I just think about the impact for Drake Maye and that offense, with all that Josh (McDaniels) is installing,” McCourty told MassLive’s Karen Guregian on Monday. “To me, from April all the way till the end of August, seems like it would have been so valuable in having (Andrews). And even if another guy emerges as your center, that’s fine.”
McCourty recalled Mac Jones’ rookie season in 2021 when the Alabama product logged countless hours in the Patriots’ facility as he tried to master McDaniels’ complex system. Maye figures to face similar challenges, and McCourty believes Andrews could have provided a major helping hand to the sophomore signal-caller.
That said, one has to imagine Robert Kraft and company had in-depth conversations with Andrews — one of the most respected Patriots players of his era — before he was officially released. Time will tell what the future holds for the 32-year-old, but retirement feels very much on the table.
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