The New England Patriots quickly replaced back-up quarterback Matt Flynn, signing Ryan Lindley on Monday.
There are a lot of question marks still revolving around the quarterback situation for the New England Patriots, especially when it comes down to who will be under center for the team’s first four games while Tom Brady serves his suspension. While conventional wisdom would indicate the honor will go to back-up Jimmy Garoppolo, but there are still depth concerns beyond that point.
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The Patriots moved to address some of those concerns on Monday, signing former Arizona Cardinals’ QB Ryan Lindley to a one-year deal and releasing fellow veteran Matt Flynn.
Matt Flynn signed a one-year deal with the Patriots on June 11th, but the quarterback has yet to take the field during camp while dealing with a lingering hamstring issue. It was the latest in a series of roadblocks that have hampered Flynn since he left Green Bay to try and find a starting job elsewhere. Unsuccessful ventures in Seattle, Oakland, and Buffalo eventually led him back to Green Bay, but he was eventually cut this offseason in favor of Brett Hundley.
Unfortunately, his time in New England was short, as the need for a healthy quarterback to carry the clipboard for Garappolo for the season’s first four weeks necessitates a move.
Instead, New England will give an opportunity to Ryan Lindley, who has a rather dubious track record of his own. In two seasons with the Arizona Cardinals, Lindley started six games and posted a 1-5 QB record during that span. However, he is one of just four quarterbacks to have 11 or more interceptions and two or less touchdowns during his career.
Lindley saw himself thrust into a playoff push last season, when he took over the signal-calling duties in Arizona after both starter Carson Palmer and back-up Drew Stanton went down with season-ending injuries. Lindley responded by throwing for 562 yards on 45-for-93 passing. The struggles continued into the postseason, with Lindley completing 16 of 28 passes, but amassing just 82 yards, one touchdown, and two interceptions in the process. His QB rating of 37.9 also left a lot to be desired though.
Needless to say, Ryan Lindley wasn’t brought into New England to be the second-coming of Matt Cassel. He’s serve as a warm body on the bench in case the worse case scenario comes to pass, something the New England Patriots are hoping never happens.
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