New England made three roster moves Wednesday, two days before training camp opens. The Patriots signed first-year tight end Mitch Van Vooren and rookie free agent linebacker Riley Wilson, and released fullback Brock Lampe.
Van Vooren takes the longest road of the three. The 25-year-old came out of St. Norbert, a Division III program in Wisconsin, and signed with Seattle as a rookie free agent in June 2025. The Seahawks let him go nine days later. Cleveland picked him up in early August and released him three weeks after that. He arrives in Foxborough at 6-foot-5 and 255 pounds.
His college production was real. Van Vooren earned first-team All-NACC honors as a senior with 33 catches for 510 yards and 10 touchdowns. He did not start out as a football player either. He began at Marquette as a track athlete and still holds the school record in the 400-meter hurdles.
Wilson brings a more conventional résumé and three schools. The 24-year-old linebacker opened at Hawaii in 2021 and 2022, spent 2023 and 2024 at Montana, then finished at Arizona last season. Across 52 college games he compiled 193 total tackles, 16 sacks and two interceptions, including 51 tackles and three sacks in 11 games for the Wildcats. He is listed at 6-foot-1, 226 pounds.
Lampe leaves without having played a snap for the club. The 23-year-old signed out of Northern Illinois as a rookie free agent and spent all of last season on injured reserve.
Camp opens Friday, with the first public practice Saturday morning at Gillette Stadium.
