Patriots sign veteran offensive tackle Chukwuma Okorafor

BOSTON -- Free agency doesn't begin in the NFL until next week, but veteran players released by their teams are free to sign deals at any point.

The Patriots capitalized on that opportunity on Thursday, signing Chukwuma Okorafor. NFL Network's Ian Rapoport reported the signing, though he did not include the details of the deal.

The 26-year-old Okorafor has six years of NFL experience with the Steelers, who drafted him in the third round out of Western Michigan in 2018. He's played in 77 games, starting 59 of them.

Okorafor was released by the Steelers in February after rookie Broderick Jones became the team's starter at right tackle midseason. Okorafor said he was initially benched by Mike Tomlin over something he said.

"I kind of had a ... just the way the game was going last week, I kind of said stuff that I shouldn't say. I just, being in Year 6, I can't like act out the way I was acting out," Okorafor said last year.  

Tackle is a significant need for the Patriots this offseason, with the team moving on from left tackle Trent Brown and potentially losing right tackle Mike Onwenu to free agency.