CINCINNATI (AP) — The New England Patriots acquired linebacker Marquis Flowers from Cincinnati on Tuesday for a seventh-round draft pick next year, getting a player that the Bengals planned to release.
Flowers was a sixth-round pick out of Arizona in 2014. He had a promising rookie season, filling in after Vontaze Burfict got hurt. He also replaced starter Emmanuel Lamur for one game.
Flowers suffered a shoulder injury in the final preseason game in 2015 and missed the season.
He was limited to special teams last year, playing in 16 games. He was listed as Burfict’s backup on the depth chart, but Vincent Rey is expected to move into the spot while Burfict serves a five-game suspension to start the season for an egregious hit on a Chiefs player during the preseason.
Bengals coach Marvin Lewis said Flowers wasn’t going to make the team in the final roster moves this weekend, which would have left Flowers free to be claimed off waivers.
“The Patriots felt he may not get to them through the waiver chances, so they traded for him,” Lewis said.