The Patriots are signing free-agent offensive tackle James Hudson III, according to the NFL Network.
Hudson is a candidate to become the team’s new swing tackle, a major need given the Patriots lost backup left tackle Vederian Lowe in free agency and starting right tackle Morgan Moses is entering his age-35 season.
Hudson has started 19 of 60 career game appearances split between the Giants and Browns. He spent last season in New York, where he primarily played left tackle in the 11 games he served as a backup. Hudson also played left tackle during his final year in Cleveland. He made three starts that season, which followed a career-high seven of 16 game appearances at right tackle in 2023.
Hudson has graded out as a poor pass protector at Pro Football Focus for most of his career. He’s regarded as a better run-blocker than pass-blocker, with seven allowed pressures in just 61 pass-blocking snaps last year. Hudson also allowed a pressure rate higher than 10% in the 2023 season, when he played almost half of Cleveland’s offensive snaps under legendary offensive line coach Billl Callahan.
Hudson originally entered the league as a fourth-round pick out of Cincinnati in 2021. The 6-foot-5, 313-pounder now joins Moses, starting left tackle Will Campbell and former practice-squad members Andrew Rupich, Lorenz Metz and Sebastian Gutierrez on the team’s depth chart.
The Patriots are still expected to add an offensive tackle in next month’s draft.
