The New England Patriots have agreed to terms on a contract with free-agent safety Obi Melifonwu, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports per Melifonwu’s agent.
Former #Raiders second round pick S Obi Melifonwu has agreed to terms with the #Patriots, per his agent.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) November 5, 2018
Melifonwu visited with the Patriots last week following his release from the Oakland Raiders. He had also visited with the Cowboys, Chiefs and Saints.
The 24-year-old safety was the 56th overall pick by the Raiders in last year’s draft. However, he has had a horrible time with injuries since coming into the league. He played just five games during his rookie year due to knee and hip injuries which required surgery, and made six tackles.
Melifonwu did not play a game for the Raiders this season as he was waived/injured before the start of the season. He was then cut from injured reserve in late October.
The Patriots have a secondary which features veteran safeties Devin McCourty, Patrick Chung, and Duron Harmon as well as special teams specialist Nate Ebner.
Melifonwu doesn’t figure to see much playing time behind those three anytime soon. But the Patriots have a habit of taking chances on failed former high draft picks. They were also high on Melifonwu and reportedly met with him prior to last year's draft, per Matt Dolloff of CBS Boston.
While the Patriots don’t have much need for Melifonwu at the moment, he’s a low-risk gamble who could provide a high reward if he’s able to get healthy and live up to his potential with the Patriots.
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