That didn't take long. Less than six months after the Patriots gave the Panthers a second-round pick in exchange for pass rusher Kony Ealy and a third-rounder, Ealy is looking for work.
The Patriots announced Saturday that they've released Ealy, who NFL Network's Mike Garofolo reports struggled to fit into their defensive scheme.
The Patriots had already lost veteran defensive end Rob Ninkovich to retirement and 2017 third-round pick Derek Rivers to a season-ending knee injury. And now they'll move forward with Geneo Grissom and Trey Flowers -- and without Ealy, who was reportedly on the trade block in recent days.
Depth also becomes an issue; After Grissom and Flowers on the depth chart there is fourth-round rookie Deatrich Wise, and 2017 undrafted rookie free agents Caleb Kidder and Kieonta Davis. In case you're wondering, available free-agent pass rushers include Dwight Freeney, Mario Williams, Trent Cole and Paul Kruger.
Ealy began his career in Carolina in 2014, and his best performance came on the biggest stage: In Super Bowl 50 against Peyton Mannning and the Broncos, Ealy had three sacks, an interception, a forced fumble and a pass defended. And had the Panthers found a way to win, he would have been a legitimate MVP candidate. Now, some 18 months later, he's a man without a team.
For his career, Ealy has 14 sacks, though he has never started more than nine games in a season.
