New England has added a new face to its defense
Owen Crisafulli 11 Hours Ago3 Min Read
One of the bigger surprises from the Pats’ initial 53-man roster was that they kept eight wide receivers on their team. That always seemed unsustainable, and sure enough, both Kendrick Bourne and Javon Baker were released on Wednesday.
The release of those guys allowed New England to claim former New York Giants quarterback Tommy Devito after he was released on Tuesday. It also led them to former Los Angeles Rams cornerback Charles Woods, as he filled the other roster spot opened up by these moves.
“The New England Patriots announced today that they have released WR Javon Baker and WR Kendrick Bourne. The Patriots also claimed and were awarded QB Tommy DeVito from the New York Giants and CB Charles Woods from the Los Angeles Rams,” the team announced on their official website.
Woods broke into the league as an undrafted free agent with the Rams last season, suiting up in 12 games for them. Playing primarily on special teams, Woods racked up just two tackles on the year.
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With New England, Woods will likely fill a depth role on the team, while also factoring into the mix on special teams. Considering how the Pats had a plethora of wide receivers at their disposal, the addition of Woods will help balance out their roster.
While Bourne is looking for a fresh start, Baker could return to the Patriots as a member of their practice squad, if he doesn’t get scooped up by another team. With their season-opener against the Las Vegas Raiders still over a week away, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see a couple more moves get made as New England gears up for the start of the new season.