Patriots to bring in Sharper, Hill for Workouts

By Taylor in Featured, Patriots, Rumors ⋅ August 15, 2011 at 2:28pm ⋅ Post a comment

Darren Sharper (Image from whodatdish.com)

The New England Patriots are continuing to explore defensive depth options for the upcoming season by inviting safeties Darren Sharper and Renaldo Hill for workouts on Monday.

The release of Brandon McGowan opens up a roster spot in the secondary, presumably for a safety. If signed, both players could compete against Brandon Meriweather, Pat Chung, James Sanders and Sergio Brown for snaps.

Darren Sharper

Sharper’s leadership was vital in New Orleans’ defensive resurgence during the past two seasons, playing a pivotal role during the Saints’ march to their Super Bowl XLIV triumph over the Colts in 2009.

Sharper, who turns 36 in November, appeared in just eight games in 2010 after having offseason micro-facture arthroscopic surgery on his left knee. The procedure placed him on the Saints’ Physically Unable to Perform List (PUP), causing him to miss the first six weeks. Despite the setback, Sharper was selected as second team All-Pro last season.

Considered a possible Hall-of-Famer, Sharper has 63 career interceptions, 11 touchdowns, and has been named to the Pro Bowl five times and selected first team All-Pro twice in 14 seasons.

Renaldo Hill

Hill, a seventh round pick in the 2001 NFL Draft, has danced around the league with Arizona, Oakland, Miami and Denver during his ten year career. Hill played the past two seasons for the Broncos.

Last season, Hill recorded two interceptions, forced and recovered one fumble, and ranked fifth on the Broncos squad with 54 solo tackles. The Michigan State product has 19 picks and 6.5 sacks during his career.

Tags: Darren Sharper, New England Patriots, Renaldo Hill