FOXBOROUGH, Mass. - The New England Patriots claimed and were awarded S Josh Barrett off waivers from the Denver Broncos today. In addition, the Patriots released RB Thomas Clayton.
Barrett, a 6-2, 225 pounds safety from Arizona State, originally was drafted by the Denver Broncos in the seventh round of the 2008 NFL Draft. He has played in 20 games with three starts during his two seasons in the NFL and has totaled 25 tackles on defense and 13 tackles on special teams. Last season, he appeared in 14 games and finished with two tackles on defense and eight special teams tackles.
Clayton, a 5-11, 222 pound running back from Kansas State, was signed by the Patriots on June 11, 2010. He originally was drafted by the San Francisco 49ers in the sixth round of the 2007 Draft. After spending all of 2007 on the San Francisco practice squad, Clayton spent the first 14 weeks of 2008 as part of that unit until being signed to the active roster for the final two games of the season. He spent the 2009 season on injured reserve after getting injured during the preseason.