Patriots Sign Cowboys Ex; Moves for Bengals

FOXBORO - The New England Patriots changing of the guard at long-snapper has been made official. 

In advance of their Week 16 matchup with the Cincinnati Bengals at Gillette Stadium, the Patriots have officially placed incumbent long snapper Joe Cardona on season-ending injured reserve amidst a series of roster moves.  

Cardona will undergo surgery to repair a torn tendon in his foot. However, he is expected to be ready for the start of offseason workouts in 2023. Taking his place, will be 25-yard-old Tucker Addington, who was signed to the Patriots active roster in a corresponding roster move. While Addington has some pro-level experience via the Dallas Cowboys practice squad, he is a relative novice — especially in the Patriots system. 

When speaking with the media on Thursday, coach Bill Belichick acknowledged the challenges of brining Addington up to speed with only a few days for preparation. 

"Getting acclimated," Belichick said. "Timing and acclimation to punt and field goal protection. Obviously, in punt protection, there's a lot more to it. Calls, assignments, coverage responsibilities, and so forth."

With timing and familiarity being vital to a successful synergy among snapper, holder, punter, and kicker, Addington’s ability to assimilate himself into New England’s system will be worth monitoring on Saturday afternoon.

Washington, Vizcaino Elevated, Bailey Remains Sidelined 

Washington initially entered the NFL as an undrafted free agent wide receiver out of Wake Forest in 2020. During his tenure with the Demon Deacons, he caught 110 passes for 1,676 yards and 13 touchdowns across 43 games in the ACC. Prior to an ankle injury prematurely ending his redshirt senior season, Washington had seven touchdown receptions in eight appearances.

The 6-5, 247-pounder spent the past two seasons on the Cincinnati Bengals’ practice squad before being waived ahead of the Aug. 22 roster trimming deadline. Washington aligned at receiver for the Bengals until December 2021, when he converted to tight end. 

Washington’s size and speed may him an intriguing pass-catching option against his former team. With both Jakobi Meyers (shoulder) and Tyquan Thornton (knee) listed as questionable, the 25-year-old may see time as a reserve at either receiver, or tight end. 

Vizcaino rejoined the Patriots for his third stint on the practice squad midway through November. The 26-year-old has seen some in-game action in 2022, going 2-for-2 on field goals and 3-for-3 on extra points in relief for the Arizona Cardinals. While he is not expected to spell incumbent Nick Folk for the kicking duties, Vizcaino will be able to handle kickoffs in what is expected to be a cold and potentially slippery afternoon in Foxboro.

Lastly, the Patriots failed to activate punter Jake Bailey from Injured reserve by Friday’s 4 p.m. deadline. Bailey was placed on injured reserve after Week 9 with a back injury. He has since missed New England’s last five games as Michael Palardy has handled the punting duties. The 25-year-old has struggled in 2022, averaging career-lows in yards per attempt (42.1), net-yards (35.5), and hang time (4.14). His 21-day window for return, which was started by his return to the practice field on Wednesday, remains open. 

Kickoff between the Pats and Bengals is set for 1 p.m. on Christmas Eve from Gillette Stadium.