ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. — The New England Patriots have addressed a sudden need at center by acquiring Russell Bodine in a trade with the Buffalo Bills, a person familiar with the move told The Associated Press on Friday.
The Patriots sent Buffalo a 2020 sixth-round draft pick, the person said, speaking on the condition of anonymity because the trade hasn’t been announced. ESPN.com first reported the deal.
Bodine is a fifth-year player who has the potential of replacing David Andrews, whose status is uncertain after being hospitalized last weekend because of blood clots in his lung.
Andrews was released from the hospital on Monday and was spotted in sweat pants during pregame warm-ups of the Patriots’ 31-29 preseason-ending loss to the New York Giants on Thursday night.
The Patriots haven’t released any information regarding Andrews’ condition. James Ferentz started at center against New York.
Bodine was entering his sixth NFL season, and second in Buffalo after starting 10 games at center last year. The trade comes a day after the Bills announced starting center Mitch Morse has been cleared from the NFL’s concussion protocol, and a day before NFL teams make their final cuts to establish their 53-player rosters.
The 27-year-old Bodine was selected by Cincinnati in the fourth round of the 2014 draft, and started 64 games for the Bengals before signing with Buffalo in free agency last year.
He became the odd-man out following Buffalo’s extensive offseason offensive line overhaul in free agency. He was listed third on the depth chart at the position, behind Morse and another newcomer Spencer Long.
On Thursday, Buffalo traded guard Wyatt Teller to Cleveland for a pair of draft picks.
• A person with knowledge of the deal told The Associated Press the Denver Broncos acquired cornerback Duke Dawson from the Patriots.
The trade includes a swap of late-round draft picks and was first reported by NFL Network.
The Broncos also acquired a seventh-round selection from New England for a sixth-rounder in next year’s draft.
The Patriots grabbed the Florida cornerback late in the second round of the 2018 draft to possibly fill Malcom Butler’s spot. Butler signed with Tennessee that offseason after being benched at the Super Bowl.
But Dawson, the No. 56 overall pick, missed his rookie season with a hamstring injury, and New England chose former Vanderbilt cornerback Joejuan Williams in the second round this year.
Dawson provides depth in Denver, where he’ll likely compete with De’Vonte Bausby behind Chris Harris Jr., Bryce Callahan and Isaac Yiadom in a retooled secondary.
BROWNS: The Cleveland Browns traded rookie quarterback David Blough to the Detroit Lions, who got a firsthand look at him Thursday night.
Blough completed 11 of 17 passes for 115 yards and threw two interceptions in a 20-16 win in the exhibition finale. The undrafted free agent from Purdue finished 25 of 43 for 271 yards with two touchdown passes and the two picks during the preseason.
Cleveland and Detroit swapped seventh-round draft picks in 2022 in the deal.
DOLPHINS TRADES: Center-guard Evan Boehm was traded by the Colts to the Dolphins for a conditional 2020 draft pick.
Miami also traded a 2020 seventh-round draft pick to the Vikings for guard Danny Isidora, who made three starts in two seasons with Minnesota.
PANTHERS: The Panthers placed kicker Graham Gano on injured reserve, and cut running back Cameron Artis-Payne and quarterback Taylor Heinicke.
Carolina made the decision to lose Gano for the season after he struggled to make it back from an injury to his plant leg that kept him out of all four preseason games. The 32-year-old Gano has been the team’s kicker since 2012 and missed just three field-goal attempts over the past two seasons.
Undrafted rookie Joey Slye, who was 7 of 8 on field-goal attempts in the preseason – including 3 of 3 from beyond 50 yards – will handle kicking duties for Carolina.
Per NFL rules, Gano will not be eligible to return at any point in 2019 because he was not included on the 53-man roster the Panthers are preparing to turn in before Saturday’s deadline.
Taylor Heinicke, the Panthers’ No. 2 quarterback last season, says he’s been cut.
Heinicke was Cam Newton’s primary backup last season and started one game before injuring his arm. He fell to fourth on the team’s depth chart this season behind Newton, Kyle Allen and third-round draft pick Will Grier.
RAVENS: Wide receiver Michael Floyd and outside linebacker Shane Ray are among 11 players released by the Baltimore Ravens.
Floyd signed with the Ravens in May after playing for four teams since being drafted in the first round by Arizona in 2012.
Baltimore’s other cuts included fourth-string quarterback Joe Callahan, kicker Elliott Fry and rookie wide receivers Joe Horn Jr. and Jaylen Smith.
RAIDERS: Rodney Hudson once again is the NFL’s highest-paid center after signing a three-year contract extension worth nearly $34 million.
Hudson will get just over $24 million in guaranteed money in his $33.75 million extension.
OBIT: Pro Football Hall of Fame center Jim Langer, who was literally in the middle of the Miami Dolphins’ 1972 perfect season, has died at the age of 71.
Langer died Thursday at a Coon Rapids, Minnesota, hospital near his home of a sudden heart-related problem, said his wife, Linda.
Langer was a first-year starter and played every offensive down for the NFL’s only unbeaten, untied team that went 17-0. The following year he helped the Dolphins repeat as Super Bowl champions, and began a stretch of six consecutive Pro Bowl seasons for Miami while playing in 128 games in a row.
JETS: The Jets announced Neil Glat is stepping down as team president and will transition to a new role as a senior adviser.
Glat has been with the Jets since 2012 and was responsible for all of the team’s off-field activities, including establishing business and community partnerships, helping design and unveil New York’s new uniforms and logo, expanding fan engagement opportunities and launching the team’s Jets 360 content platform.
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