Might Dan Connolly follow his good friend Logan Mankins down to Tampa Bay?
According to Mike Reiss of ESPN Boston and Ross Jones of Fox Sports, Connolly is scheduled to make a free-agent visit to the Buccaneers. According to Reiss, the meeting will be Thursday. Jones is reporting the meeting will be Tuesday.
Regardless of when it happens, it's the first real activity we've heard concerning Connolly since he became an unrestricted free agent earlier this month.
The Patriots captain on the offensive line last season, his presence at left guard helped solidify the entire offensive line through its seven-game regular-season winning streak and during its run to Super Bowl XLIX.
Connolly began the season as one half of a rotation at center with Ryan Wendell. When Wendell came in to snap, Connolly bumped over to guard. That didn't last long, however, and once New England found its best interior-line combination in Week 5 -- with Connolly at left guard, Wendell at right guard and rookie Bryan Stork at center -- the line gelled and the offense thrived.
Connolly is 32 years old and will turn 33 in September. The 6-foot-4, 311-pounder who broke into the league in 2005 still carries value in his versatility, with the ability to play all three interior offensive line spots. Over the course of the last three seasons in New England, he's played in 43 regular-season games, starting in each, and seeing time at all three spots.
If Connolly were to sign a new contract before leaving his visit with the Bucs this week, he would be reunited with Mankins, who was traded there before the start of last season in exchange for a fourth-round pick and tight end Tim Wright.
New England Patriots
There are other Patriots connections in Tampa as well, including general manager Jason Licht (former Patriots director of pro personnel) and director of player personnel Jon Robinson (former Patriots director of college scouting).