When the Patriots officially begin their title defense in early September they'll be withoutRob Ninkovich. The veteran defensive end is expected to announce his retirement Sunday, reports ESPN.com's Mike Reiss.

Ninkovich, 33, was originally a 2006 fifth-round pick of the Saints. He signed with the Patriots in 2009, had four sacks in 2010, and by 2011 he had earned the starting job. From 2011-2016 he started 91 of a possible 96 games and registered 41 sacks. He also appeared in 17 postseason games, was the Patriots team captain in 2013 and 2015 and earned two Super Bowl rings.

Ninkovich retires from a Patriots squad that has the potential to be better than the group that won the Super Bowl in February. New England spent the offseason restocking a roster that was already among the best in the league. The Patriotssigned cornerback Stephon Gilmore and veteran linebacker David Harris, and traded for pass rusher Kony Ealy, who may have been acquired as insurance against Ninkovich calling it a career; Ealy now projects as the starter.

Ninkovich had been absent during Patriots' training camp for what coach Bill Belichick called personal reasons.

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Patriots veteran Rob Ninkovich expected to announce retirement Sunday - CBSSports.com