FOXBOROUGH, Mass. – As each NFL team cut down their respective rosters to 53 players, Stony Brook football alumnus Tyrone Wheatley Jr. took a spot on the New England Patriots' roster just days after being traded to the team, the organization announced on Tuesday.
 
Wheatley Jr., an offensive tackle, spent most of training camp with the Cleveland Browns, training with Stony Brook teammates Sam Kamara and Gavin Heslop, but was dealt by Cleveland on Sunday in exchange for running back Pierre Strong Jr.
 
He transferred to Stony Brook from Michigan and contributed six receptions for 36 yards at tight end in 2018. He played in 11 games and started eight for the Seawolves as Stony Brook earned its second-straight appearance in the NCAA Division I Football Championship playoffs. Three of those receptions came in a key win over Delaware on November 10, 2018.
 
Building upon an impressive college career, Wheatley played his first professional football in The Spring League in the spring of 2021, converting from tight end to the offensive line. He signed his first NFL contract that summer with the Chicago Bears and spent the 2021 season on the practice squad. He then signed with the Raiders in May 2022 before joining the Browns' practice squad in September where he spent the remainder of the 2022 season.
 
Wheatley Jr.'s father, Tyrone Wheatley Sr. played 10 NFL seasons, including six with the Oakland Raiders from 1999-2004.
 
Outside the NFL, Stony Brook football alumni continue to represent the program professionally, including Carthell Flowers-Lloyd and Tyrice Beverette in the CFL, Jean Constant, Tyquell Fields, TJ Morrison and Dajon Owens in the European League of Football.
 
The 2023 NFL season will begin on Thursday, Sept. 7 and the Patriots host the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday, Sept. 10 at 4:25 p.m. ET to open their schedule.
 
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