FOXBORO -- The long-term prognosis for Ryan Lindley sticking with the Patriots? Not good.
Expected to sign with the Patriots on Monday, Lindley will likely be gone once veteran Matt Flynn’s hamstring allows him to get on the field.
Flynn, signed by the Patriots in June, will be released by the team Monday. The Patriots host the Packers Thursday in the first preseason game and the team needs a quarterback with a healthy arm and legs to take the late-game snaps.
The upside for Lindley is that he’ll get the opportunity to “get some film” out to other teams. He’s going to need some updated stuff because his last performance -- a first-round playoff game in January against Carolina -- didn’t go so good. Lindley completed 16 of 28 passes for 82 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions in an Arizona loss. The Cardinals' 77 yards of offense was the fewest in NFL playoff history.
A sixth-round pick by Arizona in 2012, the 26-year-old Lindley was with the Cards in 2012 and 2013 but was released at the end of camp last year. The Chargers signed him to their practice squad, and the Cardinals scooped him back from San Diego last November after starter Carson Palmer went down with an ACL. When Palmer’s backup, Drew Stanton, injured his knee in December, Lindley became the starter. He struggled, going 0-2 in the regular season with two touchdowns and four picks and a 48.4 completion percentage.
Lindley’s not walking into a situation tailor-made for success on Thursday. He’ll have two days of practice and a walkthrough before he plays. But he’s got a chance.