The Patriots signed free agent wide receiver Dontrelle Inman on May 10, making him the latest addition to a re-tool of the team’s receiving group.

Inman, 30, has played for four NFL teams in his four-season career after spending time in the Canadian Football League. Inman has scored 11 touchdowns on 158 career receptions. He played for the Colts in 2019, featuring in nine games.

Here are three things to know about the new Patriots receiver:

Inman went undrafted in the 2011 NFL Draft and instead sought a career in the CFL, where he wound up playing punter in one 2013 game.

Inman played college football at Virginia from 2007-10 but went undrafted following his senior season. After he failed to make the Jaguars as an undrafted rookie free agent in 2011, he signed with the Toronto Argonauts of the CFL. Inman featured on the team for two seasons, collecting exactly 50 receptions each year and 11 total touchdowns along the way. He helped the Argonauts win the Grey Cup, the CFL’s championship, in the 2012 season.


Inman made an appearance at one more position beyond wide receiver with the Argonauts. On June 28, 2013, Inman placed three punts in a game against the Hamilton Tiger-Cats for an 88-yard total. He also scored a passing touchdown in that game, a 39-34 Argonauts win.

The Argonauts released Inman in December 2013, and he signed with the Chargers for his first NFL season in 2014. Inman played for the Chargers from 2014-17 and played his best season in 2016, when he started in all 16 games, collecting 57 receptions and 4 touchdowns along the way.

A mid-season trade in 2017 sent him to the Bears, and Inman played for the Colts in 2018.

He joins a crowded — and physically large — receiving group as the Patriots approach training camp.

The Patriots currently have 11 wide receivers on the roster, not including Josh Gordon, who remains indefinitely suspended. According to Pro Football Reference, the team carried six receivers on the 53-man roster in 2018. Bill Belichick will make cuts throughout training camp and preseason, and though Inman received more money than a minimum-level deal, it is no guarantee he will make the team.

Contract note: WR Dontrelle Inman's 1-year deal includes a $200k signing bonus, $100k of his base salary guaranteed, $300k in roster bonuses, and a $100k reporting bonus, in addition to incentives up to $1m. This reflects how he had other suitors. This isn't a minimum-level deal. — Mike Reiss (@MikeReiss) May 16, 2019

At 6-feet-3-inches and 205 pounds, Inman boasts a physical advantage over smaller receivers, but it appears that kind of size could be typical of the Patriots’ receivers in 2019. Not including Inman, the team currently features six receivers taller than 6-foot-1.

Jakobi Meyers, 6-feet-2-inches, 203 pounds

Damoun Patterson, 6-feet-2-inches, 190 pounds

Maurice Harris, 6-feet-3-inches, 200 pounds

Demaryius Thomas, 6-feet-3-inches, 229 pounds

N’Keal Harry, 6-feet-2-inches, 228 pounds

Josh Gordon, 6-feet-3-inches, 225 pounds


In 2018, only three of the team’s receivers stood taller than 6-feet-1-inch.

He has a keen sense of style and likes red wine.

While Inman was with the Bears, he did an interview that appeared in the Quintessential Gentleman‘s Spring 2018 magazine about staying well-groomed while following the NFL’s rigorous season schedule.

Inman told the magazine he makes sure to get his hair cut once a week in order to look as fresh as possible for weekly photographs taken as his team enters or exits team buses or planes. Since the NFL requires players to dress professionally, Inman considers his appearance highly when preparing for games each week.

He offered some barbershop tips, too: “Never go to the new guy,” Inman said. “This is a huge no-no lol. Never go to a barber without a recommendation. Never let a barber freestyle.”

A look at Inman’s Instagram page shows off his sense of style, too.

When Inman was asked how he unwinds after a long day of practice, he told the Quintessential Gentleman that he prefers a glass of red wine.

“A good bottle of Cabernet Sauvignon (one of my favorites is Ménage à Trois – Decadence) alongside a delicious home cooked meal is the perfect way for me to relax and unwind,” Inman said.