FOXBOROUGH, Mass. - The New England Patriots announced today the re-signing of CB Leigh Bodden and the signing of LB Marques Murrell. Terms of the contracts were not disclosed.
Bodden, 6-1, 193 pounds, originally joined New England on March 11, 2009. Last season, he started in 14 of the 15 contests he played and tied for the team lead with five interceptions and led the team with 17 passes defensed. Bodden was named AFC Defensive Player of the Week (Week 11) for his performance in the Patriots' 31-14 win over the New York Jets (11/22) after tying a team record with three interceptions. He returned the first of his three interceptions in the Jets game 53 yards for a touchdown, the first interception returned for a touchdown of his career.
Prior to joining New England, Bodden played for Detroit (2008) and Cleveland (2003-07). He has played in 90 career games with 67 starts and has recorded 341 tackles (258 solo), 18 interceptions for 192 yards, 75 passes defensed, seven forced fumbles, six fumble recoveries and 30 special teams tackles.
The Hyattsville, Md. native spent the first five years of his career with Cleveland after being signed by the Browns as an undrafted rookie free agent from Duquesne on May 2, 2003. In his first two NFL seasons, Bodden appeared in 21 games with two starts, recording a total of 21 tackles, one interception and 29 special teams tackles. In 2005, he earned a spot as a full-time starter, playing in 13 games with 11 starts and had 59 tackles while tying for the team lead with three interceptions and pacing the club with 20 passes defensed. He was limited to nine starts in 2006 due to an ankle injury, but still recorded 35 tackles, two interceptions and 11 passes defensed. In 2007, he started every game and led the Browns with a career-high six interceptions and also set a personal best with 92 tackles.
In 2008 with Detroit, Bodden played in 16 games with 15 starts and tied for fifth on the team with 80 tackles (68 solo). Additionally, he tied for the team lead with three forced fumbles and also tied the club best with two fumble recoveries. Bodden was acquired by the Lions from the Browns on March 1, 2008, along with a 2008 third-round draft pick in exchange for defensive tackle Shaun Rogers.
Murrell, 6-2, 250 pounds, is a veteran of three NFL seasons (2007-09) with the New York Jets. He originally joined the NFL as a rookie free agent with Philadelphia out of Appalachian State in 2007. Murrell began his career on the Eagles' practice squad and was signed to the Jets 53-man roster on Nov. 7, 2007. He has played in 26 NFL games and accumulated 21 total tackles on defense and 27 tackles on special teams.
Last season, Murrell played in 10 regular-season games and one postseason game for the Jets, finishing with three tackles on defense and 13 special teams tackles.
Murrell was a two-time first-team All-American at Appalachian State, where he recorded 36 sacks and set a school record with 18 forced fumbles.
