Patriots sign a marine who hasn’t played football in 5 years

The Patriots are trying out former Navy defensive end Paul Quessenberry. 

Bill Belichick is known, among other things, for his infatuation with players from service academies. The son of a former Navy coach, Belichick has a Midshipmen presence on this roster right now, as long snapper Joe Cardona is a Naval Academy graduate.

Belichick, who has a penchant for taking a flier on interesting athletic profiles when filling out the back end of this roster, is reaching very deep into the free-agent pool, as his latest signing hasn’t played football in five years.

Paul Quessenberry graduated Navy in 2014 and had a tryout with the Houston Texans in 2015. Since then, he’s fulfilled his mandatory service requirement by serving in the Marine Corps. Belichick still thinks he has some good football left in the tank, as he signed the former Navy defensive end to play tight end.

Paul Quessenberry was a stud at Navy before joining the Patriots.

Quessenberry comes from a football family. His younger brother Scott is a starting interior lineman for the Los Angeles Chargers, while his older brother David, who famously overcame non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, is currently a backup tackle with the Tennessee Titans.

During Paul’s final year with Navy, he piled up 38 tackles, 8.5 tackles for loss, and 1.5 sacks. 

Cardona, who played with Quessenberry in college, praised the addition of his former teammate, calling him a special player who is “as tough as they come.”

Making the NFL as an undrafted free agent is hard. Making the NFL as an undrafted free agent after not having played football for half a decade and agreeing to try out at a totally new position is even harder.

Still, Quessenberry put his life on the line for his country, so trying out for Belichick in the NFL and catching passes from Cam Newton has to feel like a walk in the park for him, even under such unusual circumstances.