The Facts: Hearing that the Patriots are close to an agreement with Vitale, a source tells NESN.com's Mere Gorman.

Diehards Line: Vitale spent the last two seasons with the Green Bay Packers. The 26-year-old Vitale could be a valuable addition as a blocker, especially after the Patriots wound up using a linebacker at fullback last season in Elandon Roberts. However, the Patriots’ early pursuit of Vitale may not be a good sign for longtime starter James Develin, who finished 2020 on injured reserve following a neck injury. Develin has spent the last eight seasons with the Patriots and has drawn high praise from throughout the organization for his abilities to help power the run game. However, the 31-year-old’s outlook is unclear at this point. Develin made appearances in the Patriots locker room last season. However, the team has given no updates on his long-term outlook moving forward. If healthy, Develin could likely return to his normal form in 2020. However, it’s unclear whether Develin will be healthy to play in 2020, since the extent of his neck injury was never made public. The move to acquire Vitale may be a precautionary measure or an effort to add depth and younger training camp competition. We won’t know for certain until the Patriots reconvene for offseason activities.