Should Patriots sign OT Anthony Davis, another formerly-retired player?

Offensive tackle Anthony Davis has applied for reinstatement into the NFL. Should the Patriots try and sign him?

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. - Offensive tackle Anthony Davis has applied for reinstatement into the NFL for the second time, which sparked his release from the San Francisco 49ers on Tuesday, according to ESPN's Field Yates. 

The 49ers have released OT Anthony Davis, who is seeking reinstatement into the NFL. Davis, now 29 years old, is now a free agent and eligible to speak to other teams.

— Field Yates (@FieldYates) May 28, 2019

Pending his reinstatement, which is likely to push through, Davis will be a free agent and can sign with any team that he chooses. 

Davis started in 71 career games for the 49ers during his time there. He suffered a multitude of concussions in 2015, forcing him out the whole season before he decided to retire for the first time. He was then reinstated in July of 2016 and didn't make it through more than one regular season game before he retired again.

Davis will be entering the league in 2019 at 29-years old and will have been away from football for two years.

The Patriots are in need of a veteran left tackle after Jared Veldheer announced his retirement on May 21st. Though the team is openly optimistic about OT Isaiah Wynn's ability to play once the season is underway, it can't hurt to have someone else for him to compete with and potentially give him the opportunity to ease into the position a bit slower in 2019. With that being said, New England obviously isn't confident about their depth at left tackle, which is why they had signed Veldheer in the first place.  

Because of Davis' absence from football, it may take him some time to be football-ready to the point where he could earn snaps during the regular season. If that's the case, then it may be pointless trying to sign him. However, if New England just wants a veteran who can play as a reserve behind Wynn, then Davis may be the man for the job.

It's worth noting that Davis played right tackle his entire NFL career in San Francisco. But transitioning to left tackle may be the least of his worries if he gets signed. If there's one thing we know for certain, it's that offensive line coach Dante Scarnecchia could take that task on with ease. 

Davis could plug that hole the Patriots have at tackle by adding their second formerly-retired player this offseason, the first being tight end Ben Watson. Convincing Davis that signing with the SBLIII champions instead of taking a bigger paycheck elsewhere will be the biggest obstacle to overcome.