FOXBOROUGH, Mass. -- The New England Patriots claimed third-year right tackle LaAdrian Waddle on waivers from the Detroit Lions on Wednesday.
For more insight on the 6-foot-6, 328-pound Waddle, ESPN.com NFL Nation Lions reporter Michael Rothstein provides the following background from the last three years in Detroit:
"Waddle was one of former Lions general manager Martin Mayhew's best finds in the 2013 undrafted free-agent pool. He was undrafted out of Texas Tech in part due to the system the Red Raiders ran while he was in school (spread with little running). But in Detroit's old system under Scott Linehan, his pass-blocking skills made him a surprise starter after Jason Fox and Corey Hilliard were injured in 2013. This was similar to his rise from unknown recruit at Texas Tech to a dependable starter.
"Injuries, though, are a good portion of the reason he was available for New England this week. After standing out in 2013 -- he didn't allow a sack in Linehan's Air Raid offense that operated primarily out of the shotgun -- he couldn't stay healthy the past two seasons. He dealt with knee, calf and ankle injuries along with two concussions in 2014 before a torn ACL ended his season last December. That knee caused him issues throughout the 2015 season -- he was listed on the injury report twice with knee injuries and once with an elbow issue -- and he never really regained his form from 2013.
"Waddle began the season as the likely starter at right tackle, although he didn't play in Week 1 as he was still recovering from the knee injury. He ended up starting six games, but was often ineffective and eventually went from starter to healthy scratch three of the past four games prior to his release. He's a player that could probably have benefitted from a change of scenery due to all the injury issues. If he's able to truly get healthy again, he could be a sneaky good pickup for New England because he has the size, hands and arm length to be a serviceably good tackle -- shown by his rookie year production.
"He was also one of the more personable players in a pretty open Detroit locker room. He got engaged in the offseason to a Lions fan he met while he was in Detroit -- their wedding is scheduled for 2016 -- and he went back to Texas Tech during last offseason to complete his degree."
