Patriots sign 15 players to practice squad, including quarterbacks Zappe and Cunningham
BOSTON -- Tuesday was a tough day for a number of Patriots players. Wednesday was a lot better for some of them.
With none of the players waived by New England getting claimed by other teams, the Patriots were free to build up their practice squad on Wednesday. The team signed 15 players in total, and all but one of them spent training camp with the team.
Quarterbacks Bailey Zappe and Malik Cunningham highlighted the practice squad signings on Wednesday:
S Joshuah Bledsoe
TE Pharaoh Brown
QB Malik Cunningham
OL James Ferentz
LB Joe Giles-Harris
RB Kevin Harris
RB Ty Montgomery II
LB Calvin Munson
LB Ronnie Perkins
WR Thyrick Pitts
OL Kody Russey
TE Matt Sokol
OL Andrew Stueber
P Corliss Waitman
QB Bailey Zappe
Brown is the only outside player to join New England's practice squad. He practiced with the team Wednesday in Foxboro.
The 29-year-old tight end has played for the Raiders, Browns, and Texans during his five-year NFL career, with 51 receptions and a pair of touchdowns over 55 games. He had 12 receptions for 117 yards for the Texans (three games) and the Browns (13 games) last season.
Converted offensive lineman Bill Murray won't be joining the Patriots' practice squad. Instead, he's joining the Bears' practice squad. Neither will guard Chasen Hines, who is reportedly signing with the Dolphins' practice squad.
As a reminder, teams can keep 16 players on their practice squads. Teams can elevate two practice squad players per week to the game-day roster, and each player can be elevated three times before the team would be required to sign them to the 53-man roster. Players on a practice squad can sign with any other team during the year, though only for the 53-man roster, not for another team's practice squad.
