The New England Patriots worked out five players Tuesday, including running back Jamaal Williams and offensive lineman Cody Ford, according to ESPN’s Mike Reiss. Neither player had a reported signing as of Wednesday night. A tryout gives a team a chance to evaluate a player; it does not confirm a contract or roster move.
The other players who took part were Stephen Hall, Josh Kattus and Jaren Kump. Reiss’s report identified the workout participants but did not confirm a decision by New England. All three were undrafted rookies, with prior time in the Texans’, Bengals’ and Bears’ organizations, respectively. Their participation broadened the workout beyond the two established NFL veterans, though the report did not indicate what the Patriots were looking for from any individual player.
That distinction matters when assessing the Patriots tryouts. A workout can provide an opportunity for the team to assess a player, but participation alone says nothing about whether a deal is imminent. The available report establishes that New England evaluated five players on Tuesday; as of Wednesday night, it did not document a signing for Williams or Ford or a final decision involving any of the five.
Why Jamaal Williams could interest the Patriots
Williams went unsigned for the 2025 season. His last NFL appearance was for the New Orleans Saints on Jan. 5, 2025. The report said he weighed 220 pounds, the lowest mark of his eight-year career. His workout therefore gives the Patriots a chance to look at a running back seeking to return after a season away from the league, although a workout itself does not establish that he is ready for game action.
Jordan Schultz assessed that Williams was in the best shape of his NFL career and said he was expected to land with a team soon. Those are Schultz’s assessments, not confirmation of a deal with New England or another team. The source report also noted that Williams had spent more than a year away from competitive action and would need a ramp-up period before playing. That context separates the prospect of a team showing interest from the question of how quickly a player could contribute.
Williams’ career offers context for why a team might consider evaluating him. The Packers selected him in the fourth round in 2017, and he spent four years sharing Green Bay’s backfield. He joined the Lions in 2021 and became a starter. In 2022, he recorded his only 1,000-yard rushing season and led the league with 17 rushing touchdowns. That peak came four years before this workout, and the report characterized his New Orleans production as a struggle, with career-low rushing and receiving numbers during his two seasons there.
Williams was cut by the Saints in March and worked out for the Bears and Dolphins in August, according to the source. The report said he continued pursuing a return and reached out to the Lions, but Detroit was not interested in a reunion. Those earlier efforts show that the Patriots were not the only club to consider him after his departure from New Orleans, but none of them changes the status of the New England visit: there was no reported signing as of Wednesday night.
The workout also drew attention to the Patriots’ running back group. The report listed TreVeyon Henderson and Corey Kiner on the 53-man roster and Myles Montgomery on the practice squad. It said Rhamondre Stevenson was working through a knee injury, but provided no further details. The report does not establish that Stevenson’s injury prompted Williams’s workout or confirm a roster decision. It does, however, place the evaluation in the context of a backfield with two other running backs listed on the active roster and Montgomery on the practice squad.
Schultz’s expectation that Williams would find a team soon should also be kept separate from the Patriots’ own plans. New England’s decision to host him indicates an opportunity to assess him, not a commitment to add him. The source provides no timetable for a possible decision and does not say whether another workout or a contract will follow.
Cody Ford brings experience at guard and tackle
Ford has 42 career starts over seven NFL seasons, according to the report. He most recently played for the Cincinnati Bengals in 2024, starting at left guard and at both tackle positions. His workout does not confirm a specific role or a signing with New England. His experience at multiple spots along the line is relevant background, but the report does not say which position the Patriots evaluated him at Tuesday.
Buffalo selected Ford in the second round, and he made 29 starts for the Bills before being traded to Arizona in the final year of his rookie contract. He started three games for the Cardinals in 2022, then signed with Cincinnati in free agency. With the Bengals, his versatility gave the team an option to fill openings along the offensive line, although he did not secure a permanent starting job. He had no starts in 2025, according to the source, making the Patriots workout an opportunity to assess a veteran whose latest reported game action came in 2024.
Ford’s history across guard and tackle provides a different profile from Williams’ pursuit of a return at running back. Still, the available information supports only that New England hosted him for a tryout. It does not establish that the Patriots have a particular line opening to fill, that Ford has been offered a contract, or that the team has reached a conclusion about his fit.
Three more players took part in the Patriots tryouts
Hall, Kattus and Kump also participated in the workout. The supplied report establishes their participation and identifies them as undrafted rookies who previously spent time with the Texans, Bengals and Bears, respectively. It does not provide further details about their positions or playing histories, so their roles in the evaluation cannot be described more specifically from the available information.
The five-player group included two veterans with substantial NFL experience and three rookies, but a shared workout does not mean the players were being considered for the same purpose. Williams is a running back, Ford is an offensive lineman, and the report does not supply positions for Hall, Kattus or Kump. Beyond that, it offers no information about individual evaluations or the Patriots’ plans for them.
As of Wednesday night, neither Williams nor Ford had a reported signing. The workout report identifies the five players New England evaluated; it does not confirm what the Patriots will decide next. Any eventual roster move would be separate from the tryout itself, and the available reporting does not state whether New England will pursue one.
Mike Reiss of ESPN reported the five-player workout. Williams’s condition and expected return were assessments attributed to Jordan Schultz. Pro Football Rumors also reported the workout and signing status.
