An Alabama-honed blocking tight end who fought from the practice squad onto New England's active roster in the back half of his rookie season.
CJ Dippre built a reputation as an imposing in-line blocker across stops at Maryland and Alabama before going undrafted in 2025. He signed with the New England Patriots, spent much of his rookie year on the practice squad, and finally got onto the field in the season's final weeks after earning a roster promotion.
Path to the league
Dippre began his college career at Maryland in 2021 and 2022 before transferring to Alabama for his final two seasons in 2023 and 2024. Over 52 career games with 37 starts, he caught 65 passes for 782 yards and three touchdowns while earning back-to-back spots on the Mackey Award watch list. He went undrafted in 2025 and signed with the New England Patriots as a rookie free agent.
Career highlights
Dippre's calling card was his run blocking, grading out 24th among Power Four tight ends in PFF run-blocking in 2024 while logging nearly 1,000 run-blocking snaps across his college career at Maryland and Alabama.
2025 season recap
Dippre signed with New England in May 2025, was released and re-signed to the practice squad after training camp, and was elevated to the 53-man roster in mid-November. He made his NFL debut on special teams against the New York Jets on December 28 and appeared in a second game against Miami, finishing the season having played in two games with no regular-season receptions.
Sources
- Wikipedia: CJ Dippre
- Pro Football Reference: CJ Dippre
Player Profile
Background
- Position
- Tight End
- Group
- offense
- College
- Alabama
- Hometown
- Scranton, PA, USA
- Age
- 24
- Status
- active
