The New England Patriots added a unique depth piece at the position responsible for getting the football to quarterback Drake Maye.
New England on Tuesday announced it signed center Lecitus Smith to the 53-man roster off the Green Bay Packers practice squad. The 6-foot-3, 314-pound offensive lineman offers an interesting trait at the position that Patriots head coach Jerod Mayo never would have thought about: He’s left-handed.
“Yeah, he has upside,” Patriots head coach Jerod Mayo told reporters at Gillette Stadium on Wednesday, per a team-provided transcript. “Once again, we look at the practice squad as a place where we want to develop those players. Hopefully they become starters at some point, or rotational players.
“I did learn left-handed snappers, it’s a little bit different. I never knew that, which I thought was interesting. This guy definitely has potential to be a good player for us.”
Kansas City Chiefs starting center Creed Humphrey, a two-time Pro Bowler, also is left-handed. It’s known to be rare.
Smith joins the Patriots after center Ben Brown landed in New England last Thursday and started against the Houston Texans four days later. Mayo referred to Brown as the team’s best offensive lineman despite the quick ramp-up. The Patriots released center Nick Leverett, who started in Week 5, one day prior to signing Smith, who now slides into the backup role.
The 26-year-old Smith, a sixth-round pick in the 2022 NFL Draft, has yet to play in a game this season. He played 10 games, including two starts, with the Arizona Cardinals in 2022.
