Patriots Sign ex USFL Pair; Add RB, OL Depth: Next Moves?

The New England Patriots have added some depth to their positional groupings both at running back and offensive line by double-dipping into the well of ex-USFL talent.

FOXBORO — Following a rather bland performance from their offense in Thursday night's preseason 20-9 loss to the Houston Texans, the New England Patriots have added a pair of former USFL standouts in hopes of adding a spark to their cast of backs and blockers. 

The Pats officially announced on Saturday that they have signed former Birmingham Stallions running back C.J. Marable, and ex New Jersey Generals offensive lineman Micah Vanterpool. 

To make room on the roster the Patriots released linebacker Olakunle Fatukasi and rookie free agent safety Jourdan Heilig.

Marable was a standout during his final collegiate season with the Coastal Carolina Chanticleers, earning First-Team All-Sun Belt honors in 2020. He finished his college career having logged 2,691 yards (second all-time in program history) while catching 84 passes for 703 yards and 12 receiving touchdowns.

After going undrafted in 2021, Marable signed as a rookie free agent with the Chicago Bears. However, he was released after just two preseason games. 

Marable was then selected in the 28th round of the 2022 USFL Draft by the Birmingham. The 26-year-old compiled 925 rushing yards and eight touchdowns on 220 carries, helping the Stallions to back-to-back USFL championships in 2022 and 2023. The 5-10, 200-pound back also earned 48 catches for 396 yards and two scoring receptions.

The Patriots hosted Marable for a workout at Gillette Stadium on Aug. 3. With hybrid rusher Ty Montgomery out of action due to a knee injury, the depth behind starter Rhamondre Stevenson has been scant. Second-year reserves Pierre Strong and Kevin Harris, along with veteran J.J. Taylor, struggled to find their rhythm during New England’s loss to the Texans. 

The Patriots have also been linked to high-profile free agents such as Dalvin Cook, Ezekiel Elliott and Leonard Fournette — the latter two having also visited Foxboro in the past few weeks. Whether the club's signing of Marable has an impact on their pursuit of another running back remains to be seen. 

New England also hosted Vanterpool for a workout last week, amid injury concerns along their offensive line. The 6-6, 315-pound lineman went undrafted out of the University of Hawaii in 2023. He spent the past few months as a member of the Generals offensive line, taking snaps at both right and left tackle and guard positions.

Vanterpool showed the same type of positional versatility throughout his time at Hawaii. During his final collegiate season, he was named to the All-Mountain West second-team after starting 13 games at right guard; allowing neither a sack, nor register a penalty. He will now join a crowded positional room of reserve linemen including rookies Atonio Mafi, Sidy Sow and Jake Andrews, second-year linemen Chasen Hines, Andrew Stueber and Kody Russey, and veteran swing linemen James Ferentz and Bill Murray — all of which have aspirations of making the Patriots 53-man roster. 

Fatukasi, 24, was signed by New England in January. The 6-2, 240-pounder, originally signed with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers as a rookie free agent out of Rutgers in May 2022. He made the 53-man roster out of training camp and played in 13 games and registered six special teams tackles. Fatukasi was released by Tampa Bay in early December and finished the 2022 campaign on the Denver Broncos practice squad just three days later.

Heilig, 22, was signed by New England as a rookie free agent out of Appalachian State in May. The 6-2, 218-pounder, played four seasons for the Mountaineers as a linebacker. He played in 51 games and finished with 34 totals tackles on defense. He had been used as a hybrid safety/special teams contributor in limited work with the Pats during training camp. 

The Patriots will return to the practice fields adjacent to Gillette Stadium at 3:45 p.m. on Sunday. Practice will be closed to the public, but open to media observation. 

---

Follow Mike D’Abate on Twitter @mdabateNFL and Listen/Subscribe to his daily podcast: Locked On Patriots

Follow Patriots Country on Twitter and Facebook

Want the latest in breaking news and insider information on the Patriots? Click Here