Patriots sign TE Troy Niklas, OL Luke Bowanko

The Patriots agreed to terms with tight end Troy Niklas on a one-year deal.

The 25-year-old Niklas is a 6-foot-7, 270-pounder who has undergone several surgeries over the course of his relatively brief NFL career, and has had just 19 catches in four seasons in the league (all of which have come with Arizona).

They also agreed to a deal with offensive lineman Luke Bowanko.

Bowanko is a 6-foot-6, 300-pounder who has been in the league since 2014, having suited up for the Jaguars and Ravens. The 26-year-old has played in 39 regular-season games over the course of his career, with the high-water mark coming in 2016 when he started 14 games at center for Jacksonville. He also played 16 games last year with Baltimore.

BSJ analysis: What do Niklas and Bowanko bring to the offense?


A classic case of buying low on a player who has seen his value decrease because of injury issues, Niklas adds some tight end depth to the roster. A former second-round pick who produced in college when he was healthy (37 catches for 573 yards and six touchdowns in a year-plus at Notre Dame), there’s the possibility he recaptures some of that with a stopover in New England.

As for Bowanko, he is a versatile offensive lineman, having lined up at multiple spots in his career at the NFL level. (That includes one start at left tackle for Baltimore last season.) He’s battled injuries at times in recent years, including a torn labrum in his hip, but if the University of Virginia product can stay healthy, look for him to be in the mix as a backup at multiple positions this year.