The New England Patriots have reportedly added an offensive lineman with a lot of NFL experience — and an unusual off-field passion for a man his size.
According to NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero, New England has signed 6-foot-4, 300-pound offensive lineman Wes Schweitzer to a one-year contract.
The 31-year-old Schweitzer has 62 career starts over his eight seasons in the NFL, mostly on the interior. He spent the last two seasons with the New York Jets.
He missed most of the 2024 season due to injury and played one offensive snap. He started two games in 2023. His last season as a primary starter came in 2020, when he started 13 games for Washington.
Off the field, Scweitzer has developed a passion for rock climbing. Back in 2022, Climbing Magazine heralded him as the “330-pound NFL lineman addicted to rock climbing.”
Talking to the AP, Schweitzer said in 2024 that he tried out rock climbing to help recover from an elbow injury. Now he’s hooked, and uses it as a way to stay in shape during the offseason.
“I gained like 15 pounds of muscle and my play started to get better,” he said, via the AP. “Now I’ve been doing it for years and years and I’m going outside and I’m doing harder and harder stuff. I’m climbing 200-foot routes and it’s built my confidence up because every day you’re going to get challenged to the maximum.
Schweitzer joined a Patriots offensive line group that is in the midst of a major rebuild after cutting longtime center David Andrews. Schweitzer currently projects to be in competition for the center and guard spots.
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