FOXBOROUGH, Mass. - The New England Patriots acquired third-year LB Prescott Burgess today in a trade with Baltimore for an undisclosed draft choice. To make room for Burgess on the 53-man roster, the Patriots released C Ryan Wendell.
Burgess, 6-3, 247 pounds, was originally a sixth-round draft pick of the Baltimore Ravens in 2007 out of Michigan. He saw action in eight games as a rookie, posting seven special teams tackles before ending the year on injured reserve due to a hip injury. Burgess spent the entire 2008 season on injured reserve with a shoulder injury that occurred during the preseason. He saw action in Baltimore's first two games of the 2009 season but did not register any tackles.
Wendell, 6-2, 285 pounds, was originally signed by New England as a rookie free agent out of Fresno State in 2008. After spending last season on the New England practice squad, Wendell made the 53-man roster out of training camp and played in the first two games on special teams.
