Patriots Reportedly Close To Signing Fullback Danny Vitale
BOSTON (CBS) -- Bill Belichick loves himself a solid fullback. He is reportedly close to adding one to the Patriots roster.
New England is close to signing former Packers fullback Danny Vitale, according to NESN's Meredith Gorman. Vitale was a sixth-round pick by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers out of Northwestern in 2016, but was cut before the season. Over a wild week, he was claimed off of waivers by the Bills, only to be cut by Buffalo three days later. The Bucs then signed him to their practice squad.
After a month in Tampa Bay, Vitale was signed by the Browns. He played in nine games for Cleveland in 2016, catching four passes for 27 yards. He had three more receptions and played nearly 50 percent of Cleveland's special teams snaps in 2017, and made their roster the following season, but was cut on Oct. 15. The Packers signed him a week later.
In his two seasons in Green Bay, Vitale had eight receptions for 99 yards, and he even got his first career carry in 2019, a three-yard run. In his 44 NFL games, Vitale has 15 receptions for 145 yards, including a career-best seven receptions for 97 yards last season.
But as we know, stats do not make a quality fullback. The potential signing of Vitale casts a shadow on the return of James Develin, who was lost in late September last season with a neck injury. New England sorely missed Develin's blocking throughout the 2019 season, and if he's still unable to play due to his injury, it looks like the Patriots will turn to Vitale to fill that void.
