After agreeing to terms with veteran offensive lineman Greg Van Roten, the New England Patriots had a corresponding move to make.
The organization officially opened a spot on Tuesday by waiving tight end Mitch Van Vooren. The follow-up transaction keeps the 91-man roster at capacity ahead of joint practices with the Philadelphia Eagles.
Van Vooren, 25, signed in Foxborough leading up to training camp in July after visiting for a workout. The 6-foot-5, 255-pound tight end caught one pass for four yards from rookie quarterback Behren Morton in last week’s preseason opener versus the Indianapolis Colts. He saw five snaps between offense and special teams during what became a 13-13 tie.
Originally entering the NFL as an undrafted free agent in 2025, Van Vooren spent his rookie summer between the Seattle Seahawks and Cleveland Browns. The St. Norbert product did so after catching 33 passes for 510 yards and 10 touchdowns on the way to first-team All-NACC honors as a graduate student in 2024.
Van Vooren began his collegiate career at Marquette University, where he earned four varsity letters as a track athlete and broke the school record with a time of 51.38 seconds in the 400-meter hurdles.
New England’s tight end depth chart moves further into August with team captain Hunter Henry, rookies Eli Raridon and Tanner Arkin, as well as the returning Jack Westover and C.J. Dippre.
Joint practices with Philadelphia are set for 10:15 a.m. ET on Wednesday and Thursday. A 7 p.m. ET preseason kickoff at Gillette Stadium will follow on Saturday.