The New England Patriots opened up their preseason with a win on Thursday against the Carolina Panthers, and they followed that up by releasing veteran wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster on Friday.
With an open roster spot, the Patriots hosted four free agents for workouts on Friday - fullback Nick Bawden, tight end Neal Johnson, center Mike Novitsky and wide receiver Isaiah Ford.
Bawden, 28, was a seventh-round pick of the Detroit Lions in 2018 out of San Diego State. He spent three years in Detroit and the last three with the New York Jets. He's appeared in 35 games in his NFL career, catching eight passes for 58 yards and rushing twice for four yards and a touchdown.
Johnson, 23, signed with the Los Angeles Rams as an undrafted free agent this year out of Louisiana. In five collegiate seasons, he caught 101 passes for 1,196 yards and 11 touchdowns.
Novitsky, 24, signed with the Seattle Seahawks as an undrafted free agent this year out of Buffalo (2018-20) and Kansas (2021-23). He earned First-team All-MAC honors in 2020 and Second-team All-Big 12 honors in 2022.
Ford, 28, was a seventh-round pick of the Miami Dolphins out of Virginia Tech in 2017. He spent four seasons with the Dolphins before he was traded to the Patriots. He was in New England for less than a month before the team waived him, and he signed with the Dolphins again. Over the last two years, he's spent time with the New York Giants, Indianapolis Colts and Chicago Bears. In 32 career games, he's caught 63 passes for 681 yards and two touchdowns.
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