Report: Patriots Host WR Jordan Matthews, TE Troy Niklas On Free-Agent Visits
BOSTON (CBS) -- The work toward building the Patriots roster for 2018 continues in earnest in Foxboro.
On Monday, that meant hosting a pair of free agents: wide receiver Jordan Matthews, and tight end Troy Niklas, according to ESPN's Field Yates.
Matthews, 25, spent last season with the Buffalo Bills. In 10 games played, he caught 25 passes for 282 yards and one touchdown. He spent the first three years of his career as a member of the Philadelphia Eagles, who drafted him 42nd overall in 2014. He scored eight touchdowns in each of his first two seasons, and he averaged a tick under 900 yards across the three seasons from 2014-16. He was traded by the Eagles to the Bills for cornerback Ronald Darby last August.
In total, Matthews has caught 250 passes for 2,955 yards and 20 touchdowns in 56 games played.
Niklas, also 25, spent his first four seasons in the NFL with the Arizona Cardinals, who drafted him 52nd overall in 2014 out of Notre Dame. The 6-foot-7, 270-pound Niklas set career highs last year as a pass catcher, hauling in a modest 11 passes for 132 yards. He also scored two touchdowns. Prior to 2017, he had just eight career catches for 71 yards and two touchdowns.
