Newly acquired center Bryan Stork will report to Redskins this weekend

JOINT BASE ANDREWS — In less than 24 hours Bryan Stork was informed of his impending release from the New England Patriots, was told he was being traded to the Washington Redskins, mulled retirement and then the trade became official at 5:30 p.m on Wednesday.

There was uncertainty on Thursday morning as to whether Stork was considering reporting to the Redskins or retiring, but the 25-year-old center will report to the team this weekend, according to a person familiar with the situation.

The addition of Stork adds depth to the position behind starter Kory Lichtensteiger — depth that embodies the type of physicality and gritty attitude general manager Scot McCloughan desires in his players.

Stork, who has started 17 games for the Patriots, including their Super Bowl win against the Seattle Seahawks in 2014, was battling with David Andrews for the starting job with New England. He also sustained a concussion on the third day of training camp, his fourth in as many years dating back to his senior season at Florida State. Stork will have to complete his physical upon arriving in Washington.

Last week, Stork was ejected from joint practices with the Chicago Bears for fighting. The former Florida State standout is known for his feisty streak, which at times has been costly. In last year’s AFC Championship game against the Denver Broncos, Stork received an unnecessary roughness penalty for headbutting a Broncos defender after a play.

“I like angry offensive lineman, that’s how they should be,” coach Jay Gruden said on Thursday after the team’s walkthrough. “I don’t know anything about a negative reputation.”

The Patriots informed Stork of their desire to release him on Wednesday morning and the Redskins heard about the decision and offered a conditional seventh-round pick. The general sentiment from the Redskins was to take a chance on the 6-foot-4, 310-pound center in exchange for a conditional seventh-round draft pick in 2017.

Lichtensteiger missed 11 games last season because of a pinched nerve in his neck, but the Redskins have been pleased with the way he’s responded in training camp and the preseason. Spencer Long, who is battling for the starting left guard position with Shawn Lauvao, has also been learning the center position and taking reps as the backup behind Lichtensteiger. The addition of Stork gives the Redskins a legitimate center with NFL experience to work with behind Lichtensteiger. Second-year center Austin Reiter spent all of last season on the practice squad.

“[Stork is] going to have to come in, learn the system in a hurry and compete,” Gruden said. “That’s the bottom line. We have a very good center in Kory Lichtensteiger. We feel good about the center position, he just became available. We’re not looking to make wholesale changes, but add depth to our already good center position.”