The New England Patriots will open the defense of their Super Bowl LIII title against the Pittsburgh Steelers on "Sunday Night Football" in Week 1, the NFL announced in its unveiling of the 2019 schedule. The league announced in late March that the opening game of the season would pit the Green Bay Packers at the Chicago Bears on Thursday, Sept. 5. The defending Super Bowl champion normally opens the season with a home game on Thursday night, but the NFL wanted to feature its oldest rivalry to open its 100th season, which bumped New England to Sunday night, Sept. 8.

Here's when we'll know Patriots' Week 1 opponent, full 2019 schedule originally appeared on nbcsportsboston.com It's the moment you've all been waiting for: the announcement about the announcement. ESPN's Field Yates made the big reveal Tuesday morning, confirming the NFL will release its full 2019 schedule Wednesday night at 8 p.m. ET.

NFL Rumors: Patriots considered Sterling Shepard trade with Giants originally appeared on nbcsportsboston.com In case you haven't noticed, the New England Patriots are seriously interested in acquiring a wide receiver this offseason -- and not just through the draft. The Patriots had interested in trading for wide receiver Sterling Shepard before the New York Giants gave him a new contract extension this week, Pat Leonard of the New York Daily News reported Thursday, citing a source. Shepard, who drew comparisons to Julian Edelman ahead of the 2016 NFL Draft, would have been a nice fit in New England.

The New England Patriots reportedly are among the NFL teams "very interested" in trading for Arizona Cardinals quarterback Josh Rosen, but it takes two sides to make a deal. Charles Robinson of Yahoo! Sports recently reported on the level interest in Rosen around the league, and it sounds like the Patriots aren't really sure if the Cardinals actually intend on moving their young QB.

The Patriots have signed tackle Cedrick Lang, adding some depth to their offensive line. At 6-foot-7 and 300 pounds, Lang will be competing for a spot in a group that is looking to replace tackle Trent Brown after he signed with the Raiders in free agency. Lang has yet to appear in a regular-season game after he was originally signed by the New York Giants as an undrafted free agent in 2016.

The New England Patriots have added some more depth to their offensive line. The Patriots announced Monday they have signed offensive tackle Cedrick Lang.  He's listed at 6-foot-7 and 300 pounds. Lang did not play a single game last season because he was on the Minnesota Vikings' injured reserve list.

Golden Tate asks Patriots QB Tom Brady to follow him on Twitter originally appeared on nbcsportsboston.com Golden Tate won't be catching passes from New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady next season after taking his talents to the New York Giants in NFL free agency. However, the veteran wideout still wants to be friends on Twitter. In case you didn't hear, Brady is now on Twitter, and his first two tweets were part of an April Fools' Day prank where he fake retired.

Patriots mock draft 2019 roundup: Latest first-round predictions originally appeared on nbcsportsboston.com The New England Patriots are among the teams to keep a close eye on as the 2019 NFL Draft nears. The Pats have 12 picks overall (tied for the most with the New York Giants) and six selections in the first three rounds. New England is not short of needs after losing several key players in NFL free agency.

NFL Draft pick reset: Which teams have most selections post-free-agency? originally appeared on nbcsportsboston.com The frenzy that is NFL free agency has died down quite a bit since the market officially opened last Wednesday with the start of the new league year. In addition to hundreds of millions of dollars being spent to sign the top free agents, several blockbuster trades were completed as well.

NFL rumors: Patriots hosting former Broncos tight end for free agent visit originally appeared on nbcsportsboston.com The New England Patriots need depth at tight end, and they reportedly will be hosting one for a free agent visit Thursday. Matt LaCosse, who's played three seasons in the NFL, will meet with the Patriots, per the Houston Chronicle's Aaron Wilson. Lacosse spent the 2018 season with the Denver Broncos.