FOXBOROUGH, Mass. - The New England Patriots announced that they have acquired cornerback Jason McCourty in a trade with the Cleveland Browns. Terms of the trade were not announced. Additionally, the Patriots have re-signed RB Rex Burkhead. Terms of the contract were not announced.
McCourty, 30, is a veteran of nine NFL seasons with Tennessee (2009-16) and Cleveland (2017). The 5-foot-11, 195-pounder, was originally drafted by Tennessee in the sixth round (203rd overall) of the 2009 NFL Draft out of Rutgers. He has played in 122 NFL games with 104 starts and has accumulated 558 total tackles, one sack, 16 interceptions, 87 passes defensed, eight forced fumbles and five fumble recoveries. Last season, he started all 14 games that he played in and finished with 65 total tackles, three interceptions, 14 passes defensed and two forced fumbles.
Burkhead, 27, was signed by New England as an unrestricted free agent from Cincinnati on March 14, 2017. The 5-foot-10, 210-pounder, is a veteran of five NFL seasons after entering the NFL as a sixth-round draft pick (190th overall) by Cincinnati out of Nebraska in the 2013 NFL Draft. He has played in 52 NFL games with four starts and has 151 rushing attempts for 639 yards and eight touchdowns and 64 receptions for 542 yards with four touchdowns. He also has 31 special teams tackles. In addition, he has played in four postseason games with one start and has six rushing attempts for 50 yards and five receptions for 85 yards.
Last season, Burkhead played in 10 regular season games with three starts for New England and had 64 carries for 264 yards and five touchdowns and a career-high 30 receptions for 254 yards and three touchdowns. He appeared in two postseason contests as a reserve and posted four rushing attempts for 23 yards and caught one pass for 46 yards.