According to an ESPN report, free agent defensive tackle Terrance Knighton is headed to the New England Patriots on a one-year, $4.5 million deal.
Knighton seemed to confirm the report on his Twitter feed, first tweeting that he’d made a decision, and then posting a picture of himself wearing a Patriots helmet.
Known as “Pot Roast,” the 29-year-old Knighton was drafted by the Jacksonville Jaguars before landing with Denver and Washington. He played big games against the Patriots with the Broncos, notching a crucial fourth-down sack of Tom Brady that helped lead Denver to victory in the 2013 AFC championship game and a berth in Super Bowl XLVIII.
Knighton, a third-round pick out of Temple in 2009, has 14 career sacks. He’ll be joining a competitive defensive tackles corps in New England, which used first-round picks to draft Malcom Brown out of Texas in 2015 and Dominique Easley out of Florida in 2014. Knighton, at 6-foot-3 and 355 pounds, however, likely offers the Patriots the true 3-4 tackle they’ve been missing since Vince Wilfork left for Houston after the 2014 season.