The New England Patriots have moved on from an intriguing developmental tight ends less than a month after bringing him aboard.
New England announced Tuesday that it released Mitch Van Vooren while officially signing veteran offensive lineman Greg Van Roten.
Van Roten’s agreement was first reported Monday, making Van Vooren’s departure the new news of the transaction.
The move ends a 27-day stay in Foxborough for Van Vooren, whose unusual journey from college track standout to NFL tight end made him one of the more distinctive players competing for a back-end roster spot.
Van Vooren, 25, signed with New England on July 22 after working out for the team. At 6-foot-5 and 255 pounds, he brought notable movement skills to a stiff competition behind Hunter Henry and third-round rookie Eli Raridon.
He managed to make an appearance in the Patriots’ preseason opener against the Indianapolis Colts on Aug. 13, catching one pass for 4 yards in a 13-13 tie.
Patriots Move on From Former Track Standout
Van Vooren’s athletic background stands apart from most fringe tight ends.
Before returning to football at St. Norbert, he competed in track and field at Marquette. Van Vooren set the school record in the 400-meter hurdles at 51.38 seconds during the 2023 NCAA West Preliminary.
He later played two seasons at St. Norbert, finishing with 65 catches for 1,045 yards and 13 touchdowns across 22 games. His final season included 33 receptions for 510 yards and 10 scores, which earned him first-team All-Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference honors.
That production helped Van Vooren earn an NFL opportunity despite playing Division III football.
The Seattle Seahawks signed him as an undrafted free agent in June 2025 but released him nine days later. The Cleveland Browns brought him back into the league that August after previously having him at rookie minicamp.
Van Vooren appeared in three preseason games for Cleveland, logging 13 offensive snaps and seven special teams snaps without recording a statistic. He was released before the regular season and remained unsigned until the Patriots added him this summer.
Tight End Competition Comes Into Focus
Coming into camp, the Patriots had several players competing for reserve roles behind Henry and Raridon .
Van Vooren was among that group alongside undrafted rookie Tanner Arkin, C.J. Dippre and Jack Westover. By Aug. 10, Pats Pulpit projected Van Vooren to miss the 53-man roster and called Arkin the “clear frontrunner” for the third tight end spot.
Arkin has drawn a steady share of opportunities this summer, while Dippre returned from the physically unable to perform list earlier in August. Westover also is in the competition.
Van Vooren’s release doesn’t necessarily end his chances of sticking in the NFL.
His size, speed and limited football mileage could still make him a developmental option for another club or a practice-squad candidate if he clears waivers and eventually circles back to New England.
For now, though, the Patriots have chosen to use his roster spot elsewhere.
The occurence itself underscores how quickly the bottom of an NFL roster can turn in August.
Van Vooren went from an athletic late-camp addition with a chance to compete for a reserve role to being released less than four weeks later.
New England has now veered its attention toward the left-over tight ends as the race for the final roster spots tightens.
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