The New England Patriots and the rest of the NFL are scouring the waiver list looking for players who they feel are an upgrade of what they have as well as potential practice squad players.
Remember players practice but can not play in games unless signed and moved to the 53-man roster. They also can be signed by any of the other 31 teams at any time as they are considered to be free agents.
The Patriots have signed the following players to their practice squad:
- S Ross Ventrone
- DE Alex Silvestro
- LB/DE Markell Carter
- DL Aaron Lavarias
New England was also prepared to sign TE Lee Smith and TE Will Yeatman but they ended up being claimed by AFC East foes. Smith, a 5th round draft pick, was claimed by the Buffalo Bills, while Yeatman, an undrafted free agent, was claimed by the Miami Dolphins. Also claimed today was WR Brandon Tate by the Cincinnati Bengals.
S Brandon Meriweather has already signed with the Chicago Bears today as well. OL Thomas Austin was claimed off waivers by the Houston Texans, as was DL Landon Cohen by the Seattle Seahawks.
Former Patriots QB Kevin O’Connell, released the other day by Miami, was claimed by the New York Jets where he played the last two seasons.
There’s speculation that the Patriots are looking to add a fullback/tight end type to the practice squad. I also don’t think Bill Belichick and his staff is done as far as tweaking the roster. I really think you’ll see a veteran tight end, someone who is knowledgeable of the type of offensive system they run, get signed and don’t rule out Alge Crumpler.
Follow Steve on Twitter @djstevem
