The New England Patriots announced that four players were signed to the team's practice squad today. The four were defensive tackle Garrett Johnson, linebacker Marc Megna, wide receiver Eddie Conti and tight end Kerry Taylor.

Johnson is a 6-3, 294-pound defensive tackle who spent all of training camp on the Patriots roster and started two of the team's four exhibition games. He was considered the biggest surprise of camp and was expected to make the roster until the team signed veteran Bob Kuberski. Johnson was signed by the Patriots as a rookie free agent from Illinois.

Megna is a 6-2, 245-pound linebacker who was a sixth-round draft choice of the New York Jets out of 1-AA Richmond. He was a defensive lineman in college who was making the transition to linebacker during Jets training camp.

Conti is a 5-8, 175-pound wideout and kick returner who also spent part of training camp with the Jets before being released in early August. He then signed on with Tampa Bay before getting cut on Aug. 30. He was originally signed as a rookie free agent by the Jets out of 1-AA Delaware.

Taylor is 6-2, 252-pound tight end out of 1-AA UMass and Mansfield, Mass. He originally signed as a rookie free agent with the Detroit Lions.

NFL teams are permitted to sign five players to the practice squad, meaning the Patriots still have one spot to fill.