Notebook: Patriots add veteran defensive lineman/donut shop mogul to roster

The Patriots have signed veteran defensive lineman Ricky Jean-Francois, according to ESPN’s Field Yates. The 30-year-old, a 6-foot-3, 313-pounder, who was drafted in 2009 out of LSU, has spent time with the Niners, Colts, Redskins and Packers. His best season came in 2014 with Indy, when he played in 16 games (13 starts) and finished with six passes defensed, 1 fumble recovery, 3 sacks and 18 tackles.

Oh, and he told Pro Football Talk this spring that he owns 25 Dunkin’ Donut franchises. Twenty-five. (UPDATE: Per his Twitter bio, that total has apparently recently risen to 30....)



He was released by the Packers on Nov. 1.

BSJ analysis: What does he bring to the table? (Other than a lot of donut shops.)

With Malcom Brown banged up and Vincent Valentine on injured reserve, Jean-Francois will deliver big-body depth along the interior of the defensive line. He's a veteran who has played in the league this season, and is familiar with a variety of defensive schemes. Not known as a penetrating lineman, he's more of a two-gapper who should take some of the workload off the guys up front.

One thing we know for sure? He loves Tom Brady. In 2015, he said Brady was a man on a mission.

“I just believe he’s trying to show the NFL that he’s the all-time best at that position,” he said, “so when you say ‘Quarterback,’ the first person that comes into your head, it won’t be – nothing against those guys, love them to death – Johnny Unitas, all those type of guys. But now when you say that position, you’re going to think of Tom Brady.

“I feel like at this point that he’s mastered the game,” Francois added. “I think he has a chip on his shoulder due to some other things, but that’s between Tom Brady and some other people.”

Five missing at start of Patriots practice

Left tackle Nate Solder, right tackle Marcus Cannon, wide receiver Chris Hogan, linebacker Shea McClellin and defensive tackle Malcom Brown were all not spotted at the start of Patriots practice.

Solder has missed a handful of practices over the course of the season for non-injury related reasons, and because he wasn’t on the injury report prior to the bye week, it’s reasonable to assume the same is the case this time around. Cannon has struggled with a few different ailments this year, including ankle and concussion problems.

As for Hogan, he suffered a shoulder injury in the win against the Chargers prior to the bye, and it has been reported that he could be out for a game or two. McClellin is still working his way back from injured reserve, while Brown has had ankle issues over the last few weeks.