Patriots Place Duke Dawson On Injured Reserve, Fill Roster Spot With Riley McCarron
BOSTON (CBS) -- The New England Patriots have placed another top draft pick on injured reserve.
The team on Thursday placed cornerback Duke Dawson on injured reserve due to a hamstring injury. To fill the vacated roster spot, the Patriots activated wide receiver Riley McCarron.
The Patriots drafted Dawson with the 56th overall pick (second round) of April's draft. The team made a trade to move up in the second round to draft Dawson out of Florida, sending the 63rd and 117th selection to Tampa Bay for the pick.
McCarron, 25, has yet to play in an NFL game. He was originally signed to Houston's practice squad last year but was released. The Patriots signed him in late September and kept him on the practice squad for the rest of the year. In the 2018 preseason, McCarron caught five passes for 55 yards, while also fielding punts on special teams.
Earlier this summer, the Patriots placed their top draft pick, Isaiah Wynn, on injured reserve due to a torn Achilles, so the Dawson transaction moves two of the team's top three draft picks on IR. Last year, the Patriots' top two picks -- Derek Rivers and Tony Garcia -- did not play, while their top pick in 2016 (Cyrus Jones) was cut last weekend.