The Patriots have re-signed offensive tackle Demontrey Jacobs and center Ben Brown for the 2025 season.
Both players were exclusive rights free agents who would remain with the team so long as the Patriots tendered them 1-year, minimum contracts.
Jacobs started 13 of 15 game appearances last year, after being inactive for the first two weeks of the season and getting claimed off waivers from Denver in late August. The Patriots originally intended to keep Jacobs as a backup, though injuries and inconsistency forced him into action for the rest of the year. At 6-foot-6 and 315 pounds, he made two starts at left tackle and spent the other 11 at right tackle.
Jacobs, 26, graded as the fourth-worst tackle in the NFL, per Pro Football Focus grades, and committed 11 penalties last season. He projects as a depth piece in training camp this summer. Jacobs originally entered the NFL with the Broncos as an undrafted free agent out of South Florida and spent his entire rookie season on Denver’s practice squad.
Last October, the Patriots signed Brown off the Raiders’ practice squad mid-week and inserted him into the starting lineup four days and two practices later for a home loss to Houston. He made 10 starts on the year, following a season-ending shoulder injury to longtime starter David Andrews and poor play from his replacement, Nick Leverett. Brown’s emergence allowed the Patriots to eventually release Leverett.
Brown finished as the 54th-best center in football, per PFF grades, earning higher marks for run-blocking than pass protection. He arrived in New England after prior stops with the Bengals, Seahawks, Cardinals and Raiders. Las Vegas re-signed Brown to its practice squad after releasing him on cutdown day in August.
Brown entered the league as an undrafted free agent in 2022. Like Jacobs, he projects as a backup next season, should he remain with the team. Andrews expects to fully recover from offseason shoulder surgery and plans to play beyond the 2025 season.
Earlier this offseason, the Patriots also retained exclusive rights free agent Jeremiah Pharms Jr.