After losing both Craig Woodson and Dell Pettus to injuries during their Week 2 win over the Pittsburgh Steelers, the New England Patriots have brought in a pair of safeties on a tryout basis. Free agents Darren Hall and Malik Spencer both were in town on Tuesday, per the NFL transactions wire.
Hall, 26, entered the NFL as a fourth-round draft pick out of San Diego State in 2021. A career journeyman, the 6-foot-0, 195-pounder started out in Atlanta before stints in Indianapolis and Arizona. He later
re-joined all three of those teams, including a return to the Falcons earlier this year. However, he was later placed on injured reserve and eventually released with a settlement. In total, Hall has appeared in 48 games with 12 starts.
Spencer, 23, was an undrafted free agent earlier this year. The Michigan State product, who played in 38 games with 29 starts as a Spartan, spent his summer with the Commanders. He played in two preseason games before a hamstring injury landed him on injured reserve. The 6-foot-1, 191-pound defender was let go with a settlement earlier this month.
The tryouts come in the aftermath of an injury-filled victory over the Steelers on Sunday. Woodson and Pettus were among a group of players unable to finish, with the former suffering a shoulder injury and the latter hurting his ankle. With them out, the team used a safety pairing of regular starter Kevin Byard and late-summer trade acquisition Jaylen Reed to close out the 20-3 win.
In addition to those two, the Patriots also have Mike Brown and Elliott Davison as depth safeties on their practice squad. Head coach Mike Vrabel anticipated earlier this week that both might see increased opportunities leading up to the game against the Jaguars on Sunday.
The Patriots’ Week 3 game in Jacksonville is schedule to kick off 1 p.m. ET on Sunday, Sept. 27.
