New England Patriots defensive back Jason McCourty is looking for ways to get on the field for the defense and he’s expanded his horizons in a familiar way- by looking at his brother.Devin McCourty was an All Pro cornerback for the Patriots as a rookie before moving to safety and becoming an All Pro at his new position.Jason is competing with Eric Rowe for the right to start opposite of Stephon Gilmore at cornerback http://www.patriotscheapshops.com/cheap-authentic-lawrence-guy-jersey , but Rowe has the inside lane. Jason doesn’t have much experience playing on the inside as the nickel, but neither do Gilmore or Rowe, so it’s unlikely Jason would get on the field against three-receiver sets. As a result, Jason played free safety instead of cornerback at the start of the second half against the Carolina Panthers. The hope for Jason is that expanding his versatility would give him a greater opportunity to play. All it takes is one injury at either defensive back position and it’s likely that Jason would be the next player on the field.Devin McCourty, Patrick Chung Patrick Chung Jersey , and Duron Harmon are the starting safeties and any injury to them would put Jason on the field at safety because, let’s be serious, the alternative would be Jordan Richards and that’s less than ideal.And then if either Gilmore or Rowe is unable to play, then Jason would also get an opportunity to get on the field.So while Jason is likely to be a starter in the first week of the season, his willingness to expand his versatility by playing safety for the first time in his career is a strong indicator that he’ll have a role on this team and an opportunity to play at some point in 2018.Patriots reportedly sign ex-Texans tight end Stephen Anderson to the practice squad In three days the New England Patriots will open their 2018 regular season against the Houston Texans. The Patriots’ week one opponent is a familiar one: led by head coach and former New England offensive coordinator Bill O’Brien Eric Rowe Jersey , Houston bears close resemblance to the team when it comes to scheme. This is not the only reason for familiarity, though, as the two clubs have also crossed paths multiple times in the past.One of the men to appear in the last three meetings between the Texans and Patriots is tight end Stephen Anderson. Now, it looks like the 25-year old will experience the matchup between the two clubs from the other side. According to ESPN Boston’s Mike Reiss, New England has signed Anderson to its practice squad:Appearing in a combined 30 games over the course of his career Cheap Tom Brady Jersey , Anderson registered 36 catches for 435 yards and a pair of touchdowns since joining the Texans as an undrafted rookie in 2016 and also regularly appeared on special teams. With both Ryan Izzo and Will Tye having been placed on season-ending injured reserve as part of final roster cutdowns, New England will now use the Cal product as a fourth depth tight end.With Anderson on board, the Patriots will have to make a corresponding roster move as the team currently has all 10 of its practice squad spots filled:[UPDATE] Anderson will fill McCarron’s spot on the practice squad, with the wideout getting promoted to the active roster to fill the vacant spot created by Duke Dawson getting placed on injured reserve.