FOXBOROUGH, Mass. – The New England Patriots placed wide receiver David Patten on injured reserve today. The team also waived rookie safety Shawn Mayer.
Patten, 29, started five of the six games he appeared in this season and finishes the season with nine receptions for 140 yards (15.6 avg.), including a season long 42 yard reception. He was listed among the team's inactives the past two games with a knee injury. The 5-foot-10-inch, 190-pound veteran originally joined the Patriots as an unrestricted free agent on April 2, 2001. In three seasons with the Patriots, he has started 33 of 38 games played and is second only to Troy Brown with 121 receptions for 1,713 yards during that time. In seven seasons, Patten now has 192 career receptions for 2,719 yards and 13 touchdowns.
Mayer, 24, played in three games for the Patriots this season, playing on special teams and recording three special teams tackles. He had played in the Patriots' last three games after spending the first six weeks of the season on the team's practice squad. The six-foot, 202-pound Penn State product was signed to New England's active roster from the practice squad on Oct. 18, 2003. Mayer was originally signed by the Patriots as a rookie free agent on May 2, 2003. He was released at the final preseason roster cutdown on Sept. 2, 2003, and signed to the practice squad a day later.
