Patriots sign former Dolphin Jonathan Freeny to 1-year deal

The Patriots have added to their special teams unit by signing former Miami Dolphins linebacker Jonathan Freeny to a one-year deal with a base salary of $850,000.

Freeny was drafted by the Dolphins in 2012 out of Rutgers and was mostly used in kickoff and punt coverage. It's another depth signing, but one that the Patriots very much value. Per Mike Reiss of ESPNBoston.com:

Specific to Freeny's skill set, some of his special teams snaps were watched from the 2014 season-opener against the Patriots. He showed up on kickoff coverage, kickoff return, punt coverage and punt return units. His size stands out (254 pounds). He usually isn't the first player down the field in coverage (speed isn't his game), but he's physical. Freeny's tackle on kickoff returner Patrick Chung (second quarter, 2:00 remaining) was a good example of what he might bring; he wasn't part of the first wave of pursuit but fought off an initial double-team block by James Develin and Tavon Wilson, used his hands and arm length to shed and ultimately make the tackle.

A player like former Patriots linebacker Matt Chatham comes to mind as a possible comparison.

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