The Patriots gave up a 2nd-round pick to bring in the 3rd-year pro, but he may not be in New England much longer.
Ealy has been inconsistent on the football field since he entered the NFL, and that may be the reason he exits the NFL.
The Patriots have one defensive end position locked away with Trey Flowers owning that, and they drafted two defensive ends in April and both seem destined to win jobs. Rookie Deatrich Wise Jr. has been a stand-out in camp thus far and fellow rookie Derek Rivers was selected in the 3rd-round and will likely require a roster spot due to his high draft selection.
There was more writing on the wall suggesting the grim status of Ealy among the other defensive linemen when the team had their walk-thru prior to the first pre-season game he did so with the 2nd and 3rd-stringers, as the starters did the same nearby.
Ealy also failed to register a stat in that game vs the Jaguars on Thursday night. I'm not sure how many snaps he played in, but he needs to make every opportunity he gets count. He is on the roster bubble right now and he may very soon be on the waiver wire and from there a potential free agent.