FOXBOROUGH, Mass. - The New England Patriots re-signed restricted free agent offensive tackle Tom Ashworth today. Terms of the agreement were not disclosed.
Ashworth, 27, originally joined the Patriots as a practice squad player in 2001 and has played in 23 career games with 19 starts, all in a New England uniform. The 6-foot-6-inch, 305-pound offensive lineman was originally signed by the San Francisco 49ers as an undrafted free agent on April 27, 2001. He was released by San Francisco following 2001 training camp and signed to the Patriots' practice squad on Sept. 4, 2001. He spent all but three weeks of the 2001 season on the New England practice squad.
The Colorado product cracked the team's 53-man roster for the 2002 season and played in one game while being listed among the day-of-game inactives for the remaining 15 contests. In 2003, he broke into the starting lineup at right tackle in the fourth week of the season and started the final 13 games and all three playoff games as the Patriots won Super Bowl XXXVIII.
Last season, Ashworth started the first six games of the season at right tackle before being placed on injured reserve with a back injury on Nov. 6, 2004.
