FOXBOROUGH, Mass. - The New England Patriots re-signed running back Rabih Abdullah and wide receiver Kevin Kasper today. Terms of the agreements were not disclosed. Abdullah and Kasper fill New England's two open roster spots that were created when defensive back Omare Lowe and linebacker Justin Kurpeikis were waived this morning.
Abdullah, 29, is in his seventh NFL season and has played in seven games for the Patriots this season and is a veteran of 81 career games. The 6-foot, 220-pound running back's 2004 contributions to the Patriots have included 10 rushes for three yards and his first career touchdown (against Miami on Oct. 10), one reception for nine yards, and 10 special teams tackles (6 solo). In his NFL career, Abdullah has recorded 60 carries for 162 yards, has caught 15 passes for 115 yards, and has returned 20 kickoffs for 352 yards. The Lehigh product was signed by the Patriots on Sept. 11, 2004 and was active for seven of the next eight games before being waived on Nov. 22. Abdullah was originally signed by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers as an undrafted free agent on April 20, 1998. He spent four seasons with Tampa Bay (1998-2001) before signing with Chicago, where he played in 31 games from 2002-03.
Kasper, 25, is a four-year veteran and has played in six games for the Patriots this season and returned two kickoffs for 40 yards and made one special teams tackle. The 6-foot-1-inch, 202-pound wide receiver was signed by Patriots as a free agent on Oct. 6, 2004. He was waived on Nov. 27, re-signed on Nov. 30, then waived again on Dec. 3. Kasper was originally drafted by the Denver Broncos in the sixth round of the 2001 NFL Draft and started four of the 10 games he appeared in for the Broncos as a rookie. In his first three seasons, he appeared in 30 games for three different teams (Denver, Seattle and Arizona), starting eight of those games at wide receiver. Kasper has 24 career receptions for 297 yards and three touchdowns in addition to a career average of 24.3 yards on 76 kickoff returns (1848 yards), including two returns for 40 yards this season.
