Dylan Cozens, a former Philadelphia Phillies outfielder who retired from baseball in June and said he wanted to try to make it in the NFL, hopes his tryout with the Patriots last week was the first step toward a football career.
Cozens was a star high school defensive end who had football scholarship offers from Power 5 programs, but he hasn’t played football since high school. He told Mike Reiss of ESPN that he wants to show he has the athletic potential to make it in the NFL, even if he doesn’t have the experience.
“I really appreciate the opportunity the Patriots gave me,” Cozens said. “That’s all anyone could hope for -- a chance. For them to take a chance, and even work me out, was pretty cool, I thought.”
Although the Patriots didn’t sign Cozens based on his tryout, Cozens believes he’s trending in the right direction in his workouts and may reach the point where an NFL team sees him as a contributor on special teams if nothing else.
“I just feel like I have a ton of room for improvement with my lower-body strength and quickness and explosiveness, along with flexibility,” Cozens said. “But other than that, I felt pretty good. I’m not too far off, which is nice. I just have to keep my head down, keep working out, keep grinding.”
The 6-foot-6, 245-pound Cozens would have to be viewed as an extreme long shot, given how long it’s been since he played football. But he’s pursuing a dream, and the Patriots gave him a first chance that he hopes won’t be his last chance.
