Patriots' Flowers undergoes shoulder surgery

New England Patriots defensive end Trey Flowers underwent a recent shoulder surgery that sources characterized as a "cleanup" procedure, ESPN reported Sunday. Set to become an unrestricted free agent later this month, the 25-year-old pass rusher led the Super Bowl LIII champions in sacks for the third straight year with a career-high 7.5 in 2018.

The 6-foot-2, 265-pound Flowers played in 15 regular season games and three postseason games last season, missing one contest due to a concussion. A fourth-round pick in 2015 out of Arkansas, Flowers has recorded 21.0 sacks, 25 tackles for loss and 59 quarterback hits in 46 career games.

Draft Analyst reported last week that the Miami Dolphins are the front-runners to sign Flowers. Miami hired former Patriots defensive play-caller Brian Flores as their head coach last month.