Two days removed from NFL roster cutdown day, the New England Patriots continue to modify their 53-man team. On Tuesday, the club added two more players.
Interior offensive lineman Ben Brown was re-signed one day after his release, while rookie linebacker Erick Hunter was brought into the fold as well.
Brown, 28, originally arrived in New England in 2024 and has since appeared in 31 games with 14 starts. He signed a two-year, $5 million extension with the team last December, and entered this year’s
training camp as its top backup along the interior offensive line. However, he suffered an injury in the preseason opener and was later released. A rookie free agent out of Mississippi in 2022, the he 6-foot-5, 313-pounder started his career with the Bengals and later also had stints in Seattle, Arizona and Las Vegas.
Hunter, 23, entered the NFL as a rookie free agent with the Lions earlier this offseason. The 6-foot-2, 225-pounder played college football at Morgan State, where he saw action in 45 games with 39 starts. He finished second in school history with 298 total tackles, and also registered 10.5 sacks, seven forced fumbles, three interceptions and a fumble recovery.
The two signings put the Patriots back at a full 53 players on their active roster.
In addition, the club also signed four new players to its practice squad. Offensive lineman Jake Kubas, defensive tackle Jalen Hunt, and linebackers K.J. Britt and Jose Ramirez are now part of the team’s developmental roster. Including Monday’s signings, the Patriots now stand at 16 of 17 spots filled.
The reported signing of outside linebacker Xavier Holmes has not yet been made official by the organization.
