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In a bit of a move that turned out to be a surprise for most Tuesday evening, it was discovered that Green Bay Packers defensive lineman Jerel Worthy has been traded to the New England Patriots, pending a physical, per his agent Chafie Fields.
Pending physical @packers DT @I_AM_Worthy99 traded to @Patriots! Will help Pats D-line right away.
— Chafie Fields (@ChafieFields) August 12, 2014
Worthy has been sidelined the entire training camp period after having back surgery this off-season. The biggest key to whether or not his trade to the Patriots will be finalized is if he passes a physical. If he does, the Packers will receive a future pick from New England, per ESPN's Rob Demovsky:
#Packers will receive a future pick from the Patriots, but only if Worthy makes the team, according to an NFL source.
— Rob Demovsky (@RobDemovsky) August 12, 2014
With the former second-round Worthy being reportedly sent away, the Packers now only have three draft picks on their roster remaining from their 2012 draft class (Nick Perry, Casey Hayward, Mike Daniels). Missing the entire offseason and training camp hurt Worthy's chances of making the Packers' 53-man roster. His loss is minimal, however, considering he struggled to fit into Dom Capers' base 3-4 defense after playing the role of a 4-3 DT in college. He played in just two games in 2013 after recovering from a torn ACL.