LOWELL, MA - The undefeated Massachusetts Pirates announce the following moves involving defensive linemen prior to their game Saturday night in Moline, IL against the Quad City Steamwheelers.

The Pirates have traded Djimon Brooks to the Tucson Sugar Skulls for future considerations and have signed defensive lineman Tyrone Truesdell and Sam Montgomery.

Brooks (6'3" 310 lbs.) had appeared in three games with the Pirates this season. The Georgia Tech product had recorded three solo tackles with three assists for a total of 4.5 stops. He had one tackle for a loss and assisted on a safety in the Pirates 54-29 win over the Iowa Barnstormers last Friday night as Massachusetts notched its fourth straight victory to start the season.

The Pirates signed defensive lineman Tyrone Truesdell who most recently played with the New Jersey Generals of the USFL in 2023. With New Jersey he recorded 17 tackles. A native of Augusta, GA, Truesdell signed as an undrafted free agent with the New York Giants of the National Football League in May of 2022 after a successful collegiate career at the universities of Florida and Auburn.  At Auburn, the 6'3", 230 lb. Truesdell played in four seasons from 2017 through 2022. He was a full-time starter his final two seasons for the War Eagles and appeared in 44 games making 67 tackles including nine for a loss with three sacks. He also defended one pass and recovered two fumbles. In 2021 he entered the transfer portal and attended the University of Florida as a graduate student. As a Gator he played in all 13 games, finishing with 12 total tackles (six solo) and was selected to the 2022 East-West Shrine Bowl.

For Sam Montgomery, this will be his second tour with the Pirates. A former third-round draft pick of the Houston Texans in 2013 (95th overall selection), Montgomery played in three regular season games with the Pirates in 2018. The 6'3" 265 lb. product of Greenwood, SC recorded three tackles with two tackles for a loss, both sacks as he started the final game of the regular season. He also was a starter in the Pirates lone playoff game that year.

Montgomery was a First-Team All-American defensive end at LSU and helped the Tigers to a 13-0 regular season record in 2012 advancing to the BCS National title game. He played in a total of 32 games with 26 starts during his career in Baton Rouge. Montgomery recorded 104 total tackles, 32.5 tackles for loss (tying him for eighth in school history) and 19.0 sacks which tied for sith all-time for the Bayou Bengals. Montgomery was named an All-American by the Football Writers Association of America, Pro Football Weekly and Scout.com after his sophomore season in 2011. In 2011 and 2012 he was a First-Team All-Southeast Conference selection. 

After signing with Houston in 2013 he later joined the Oakland Raiders that same year and was assigned to their practice squad. In 2014 He was a member of the Cincinnati Bengals practice squad and remained with the team through 2015. He then moved on to the Canadian Football League making rosters in Edmonton and Winnipeg.

After playing with the Pirates in 2018 Montgomery joined the Memphis Express of the Alliance of American Football. In 2020 he was selected by the DC Defenders in the seventh round of the XFL Draft.

About the Massachusetts Pirates:
The 2021 United Bowl Champions; Massachusetts Pirates are members of the Indoor Football League (IFL) and play their home games at the Tsongas Center at UMass Lowell. For more information on the Massachusetts Pirates please call (508)452-MASS (6277), email contact@masspiratesfootball.com or visit http://www.masspiratesfootball.com. Follow the Pirates on Facebook via Facebook.com/MAPirates, Instagram @mass.pirates, and Twitter @mass_pirates.