The New England Patriots have added to the ground game leading up to the preseason finale.
The organization signed running back Micah Bernard and waived defensive back Tre Avery in a corresponding move on Tuesday, per reports from ESPN’s Mike Reiss and KPRC 2’s Aaron Wilson.
Bernard, 23, had signed with the Tennessee Titans as an undrafted free agent in May and was waived in June. The 5-foot-10, 199-pound Utah product appeared in 51 games dating back to his redshirt season of 2019, making 22 starts
at running back and one at cornerback. Bernard totaled 2,217 rushing yards across 421 carries for the Utes, and became the 21st player in school history to hit the 1,000-yard mark on the ground last fall. His tenure included 16 touchdowns from scrimmage as well as 770 receiving yards across 99 catches.
Avery, 28, was awarded off waivers from the San Francisco 49ers earlier in August. The 5-foot-11, 185-pound cornerback played 41 snaps between defense and special teams in preseason action. Avery originally entered the NFL as an undrafted free agent with the Tennessee Titans in 2022. After spending his first two years on the 53-man roster, he began 2024 on the practice squad before being promoted and ultimately claimed. The Rutgers product has appeared in 38 career games, starting five, while totaling 65 tackles and 11 passes defensed.
The second game of the preseason did not see Rhamondre Stevenson and Terrell Jennings take the field for the running back depth chart. Antonio Gibson, TreVeyon Henderson, JaMycal Hasty and recent signing Shane Watts did so in the 20-12 win over the Minnesota Vikings at U.S. Bank Stadium.
Fellow backs Deneric Prince and Lan Larison reside on injured reserve as the summer winds down.
The New York Giants host Thursday’s 8 p.m. ET kickoff at MetLife Stadium.
