FOXBOROUGH, Mass. – The New England Patriots announced that they have released 13 players today and placed veteran S Adrian Wilson on injured reserve. The Patriots released five veteran players: DL Jermaine Cunnngham, DL Justin Francis, P Zoltan Mesko, QB Tim Tebow and LB Jeff Tarpinian. The Patriots released one first-year player: DL Marcus Forston. The Patriots released six rookie free agents: LB Ja'Gared Davis, S Kanorris Davis, DB Justin Green, OL Chris McDonald, DB Stephon Morris, WR Quentin Sims and RB George Winn. Wilson, 33, joined the Patriots as free agent on March 16, 2013 after 12-year career with the Arizona Cardinals.
VETERANS RELEASED
Cunningham, 25, is a veteran of three NFL season after joining the Patriots as a second-round (53rd overall) draft pick out of Florida in 2010. The 6-foot-3, 252-pounder, played in 36 games with 14 starts and finished with 67 total tackles, 3½ sacks, one pass defensed, two forced fumbles and two fumble recoveries. Last season, he played in 12 games with three starts and two postseason games, finishing with 25 tackles, 2½ sacks and two fumble recoveries.
Francis, 24, made the Patriots roster last season as a rookie free agent out of Rutgers. The 6-foot-4, 270-pounder, played as a reserve in 10 games and finished with 10 tackles three sacks and one special teams tackle. Francis registered 3 sacks in the regular season finale vs. Miami on Dec. 30.
Mesko, 27, is a veteran of three NFL seasons after joining the Patriots as a fifth-round (150th overall) draft pick out of Michigan in 2010. The 6-foot-5, 225-pounder, has played in 48 games and had a 44.2-yard average.
Tebow, 26, is a veteran of three NFL seasons with Denver (2010-11) and the New York Jets (2012). The 6-foot-3, 245-pounder, was signed by the Patriots on June 11, 2013. Tebow has played in 35 NFL games with 16 starts and has completed 173-of-361 passes for 2,422 yards with 17 touchdowns and nine interceptions. He has also rushed for 989 yards on 197 carries with 12 touchdowns.
Tarpinian, 25, originally joined the Patriots as a rookie free agent out of Iowa on July 27, 2011, and has rotated between the practice squad and the 53-man roster over the last two seasons. The 6-foot-3, 240-pounder, has played in 10 NFL games with one start and has registered five total tackles on defense and eight tackles on special teams.
FIRST-YEAR PLAYER RELEASED
Forston, 23, was signed by the Patriots as a rookie free agent out of Miami on May 10, 2012. The 6-foot-3, 305-pounder, made the 53-man roster right out of camp but was released early in the season and brought back to the practice squad where he spent the majority of the season. He eventually re-joined the 53-man roster prior to the AFC Championship game. Forston played in one game in the regular season but did not register any statistics.
2013 ROOKIE FREE AGENTS RELEASED
[Ja'Gared] Davis, 22, was claimed off waivers by the Patriots on Aug. 28, 2013. The 6-foot, 238-pounder, was originally signed by the Houston Texans as a rookie free agent from Southern Methodist on May 10, 2013 and was released on Aug. 27, 2013. He played in 53 college games and recorded 301 total tackles, 20 sacks, four interceptions, eight forced fumbles and four fumble recoveries.
[Kanorris] Davis, 23, joined the Patriots as a rookie free agent out of Troy on May 3, 2013. The 5-foot-10, 207-pounder, played as a linebacker in college where he helped Troy win the Sun Belt Conference Championship in 2011 and 2012.
Green, 22, was signed by the Patriots as a rookie free agent out of Illinois on July 21, 2013. The 5-foot-11, 195-pounder, began his college career at Illinois as a running back before moving to the secondary for his final three seasons. He made 29 starts over his final three seasons, registering 76 total tackles, 13 passes defensed, one forced fumble and two fumble recoveries.
McDonald, 23, was signed by the Patriots as a rookie free agent out of Michigan State on May 3, 2013. The 6-foot-5, 305-pounder, was a four-year letterman at Michigan State, who played in 43 games with 39 starts at right guard.
Morris, 22, was signed by the Patriots as a rookie free agent out of Penn State on May 3, 2013. The 5-foot-8, 190-pounder, was released by the Patriots on Aug. 1 and re-signed on Aug. 26. He played in 49 games with 24 starts during his college career.
Sims, 23, was signed by the Patriots as a rookie free agent out of Tennessee-Martin on July 19, 2013. The 6-foot-3, 202-pounder, played two seasons at Georgia Tech (2009-10) before transferring to Tennessee-Martin in 2011. Sims had 86 receptions for 1,092 yards and 16 touchdowns last season.
Winn, 22, was signed by the Patriots on June 17, 2013. The 5-foot-11, 210-pounder, originally was signed by the Houston Texans as a rookie free agent out of Cincinnati on May 10, 2013, but was released on May 15, 2013. Winn led the Big East in rushing last year with 1,334 yards.
