FOXBOROUGH, Mass. – The New England Patriots announced that they have released 19 players today.
The Patriots released six veteran players: LS Danny Aiken, LB Steve Beauharnais, DL Jake Bequette, WR Josh Boyce, TE Steve Maneri and DL Jerel Worthy.
The Patriots released five first-year players: OL Braxston Cave, LB Ja'Gared Davis, S Kanorris Davis, RB Jonas Gray and DB Daxton Swanson.
The Patriots released two draft picks: OL Jon Halapio and WR Jeremy Gallon.
The Patriots released six rookie free agents: RB Roy Finch, S Shamiel Gary, DL Eathyn Manumaleuna, OL Chris Martin, LB Taylor McCuller and DL L.T. Tuipulotu.
In addition, rookie LB James Morris was placed on injured reserve.
VETERANS RELEASED
Aiken, 26, was claimed off waivers and awarded to the Patriots from the Buffalo Bills on Sept. 4, 2011. The 6-foot-4, 255-pounder, originally signed with Buffalo as a rookie free agent out of Virginia on July 28, 2011. He was released by Buffalo on Sept. 3, 2011. Aiken handled all of the long snapping duties in 48 games and seven postseason games for New England.
Beauharnais, 24, was drafted by the Patriots in the seventh round (235th overall) of the 2013 NFL Draft out of Rutgers. The 6-foot-2, 230-pounder, played in two games last year and registered one solo tackle.
Bequette, 25, is a veteran of two NFL seasons after originally joining the Patriots as a third-round draft pick out of Arkansas in 2012. The 6-foot-5, 265-pounder, has played in eight NFL games, mainly on special teams.
Boyce, 23, was drafted by the Patriots in the fourth-round (102nd overall) of the 2013 NFL Draft out of Texas Christian. The 5-foot-11, 205-pounder, played in nine games with three starts and finished with nine receptions for 121 yards and returned nine kicks for 214 yards. Boyce missed the 2013 postseason after being placed on injured reserve with an ankle injury at the end of the regular season.
Maneri, 26, signed with the Patriots on Aug. 10, 2014. He spent the 2010 season on the New England practice squad and went to training camp with the Patriots in 2011. The 6-foot-7, 280-pounder, has also spent time with the Kansas City Chiefs (2011-12) and the Chicago Bears (2013). He spent part of the 2014 offseason with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Maneri was originally signed as a rookie free agent by the Houston Texans out of Temple in 2010 but was released and claimed off waivers by the Patriots prior to the start of the regular season. He has played in 23 NFL games with 10 starts and has registered six receptions for 52 yards. A tight end in college, Houston signed Maneri and converted him to an offensive lineman and began his career with the Patriots as an offensive lineman. Last season, Maneri played in four games with one start for Chicago before being released by the Bears on Oct. 21, 2013.
Worthy, 24, was acquired by the Patriots from the Green Bay Packers in a trade on Aug. 13, 2014, for an undisclosed draft selection. The 6-foot-2, 308-pounder, was originally drafted by Green Bay in the second round (51st overall) in the 2012 NFL Draft out of Michigan State. He played in 14 games with four starts as a rookie but was limited to two games in 2013 after beginning the year on the physically unable to perform list.
FIRST-YEAR PLAYERS RELEASED
Cave, 25, spent the 2013 season on the New England practice squad. The 6-foot-3, 305-pounder, was originally signed by Cleveland as a rookie free agent out Notre Dame on April 30, 2013. He was released by Cleveland on Aug. 30, 2013 and was claimed off waivers and awarded to the Patriots on Sept. 1, 2013.
[Ja'Gared] Davis, 23, spent the majority of his rookie season in 2013 on the Patriots' practice squad, but did see action in one regular-season game and both postseason games after joining the 53-man roster. The 6-foot, 238-pounder, was originally signed by Houston as a rookie free agent out of Southern Methodist on May 10, 2013. He was released by Houston on Aug. 27, 2013, and claimed off waivers and awarded to the Patriots on Aug. 28, 2013.
(Kanorris) Davis, 24, spent the majority of the 2013 season on the Patriots practice squad but did see action in three regular-season games and two postseason games after being signed to the 53-man roster. The 5-10, 207-pounder, was originally signed by the patriots as a rookie free agent out of Troy on May 3, 2013.
Gray, 24, was signed by the Patriots on Jan. 8, 2014. He originally entered the NFL as a rookie free agent with the Miami Dolphins out of Notre Dame on May 4, 2012. He spent the entire 2012 season on the Physically Unable to Perform/Non-Football Injury List and then was released by Miami on Aug. 31, 2013. The 5-10, 225-pounder was signed to the Baltimore Ravens practice squad on Sept. 2, 2013. Gray was a four-year letterman at Notre Dame, who recorded 189 carries for 1,100 yards with 12 touchdowns.
Swanson, 23, was signed by the Patriots as a free agent on May 22, 2014. He originally entered the NFL as a rookie free agent with the Indianapolis Colts on April 30, 2013, out of Sam Houston State. The 5-foot-11, 191-pounder was released by the Colts on Oct. 29, 2013 and was signed to the San Francisco 49ers practice squad on Nov. 18, 2013. He was released by San Francisco on May 12, 2014. Swanson finished his college career as the school's all-time leader in interceptions with 14.
2014 DRAFT PICKS RELEASED
Gallon, 24, was selected by the Patriots in the seventh round of the 2014 NFL Draft with the 244th selection overall out of Michigan. The 5-foot-8, 184-pounder was a four-year letterman, who appeared in 51 games at wide receiver and as a punt and kick returner. Gallon holds the school record for receiving yards in a single season with 1,373 yards in 2013.
Halapio, 23, was selected by the Patriots in the sixth round of the 2014 NFL Draft with the 179th overall selection out of Florida. The 6-foot-3, 320-pounder, appeared in 51 games at Florida and made 43 starts.
2014 ROOKIE FREE AGENTS RELEASED
Finch, 22, was originally signed by the Patriots as a rookie free agent out of Oklahoma on May 12, 2014. He played in 47 games with 10 starts for Oklahoma, finishing his career with 262 rushing attempts for 1,412 yards and eight touchdowns. The 5-foot-7, 180-pounder also added 58 receptions for 442 yards and two touchdowns and returned 47 kicks for 1,099 yards with one touchdown. Last season, he played in 13 games with two starts and finished with 59 rushing attempts for 347 yards and caught 12 passes for 91 yards.
Gary, 23, was originally signed by the Patriots as a rookie free agent out of Oklahoma State on May 12, 2014. He played his first two college seasons at Wyoming (2009-10) before transferring to Oklahoma State and redshirting in 2011. The 6-foot, 205-pounder started every game in 2012 and 2013 at strong safety. Last season, he started all 10 regular-season games in which he played and finished with 47 total tackles. As a freshman in 2009, he intercepted three passes in his first collegiate game.
Manumaleuna, 25, was signed by the Patriots on July 21, 2014. He was originally signed by the New York Giants as a rookie free agent out of Brigham Young on May 12, 2014. The 6-foot-2, 305-pounder, was released by the Giants on June 19, 2014. He played as a true freshman for BYU in 2007 and then served a two-year mission. He returned to the starting lineup in 2010. After suffering an injury early in the year as senior in 2010, Manumaleuna was granted a medical redshirt year after suffering an injury early in the year as a senior in 2012 and came back to start all 13 games in 2013. He finished his college career playing in 56 games and finishing with 143 total tackles and 5½ sacks.
Martin, 24, was signed by the Patriots on June 23, 2014. The 6-foot-5, 305-pounder, originally signed with the Houston Texans as a rookie free agent out of Central Florida on May 16, 2014, but he was released on May 27, 2014. Martin played in 47 games with 32 starts at tackle and tight end during his college career.
McCuller, 24, was signed by the Patriots as a rookie free agent out of West Texas A&M on May 19, 2014. He played in 38 games with 30 starts and finished with 281 total tackles, four forced fumbles and recovered two fumbles. The 6-foot-2, 240-pounder was granted an extra year of eligibility after suffering an injury in 2009 after redshirting in 2008.
Tuipulotu, 24, was originally signed by the Patriots as a rookie free agent out of Utah on May 22, 2014. The 6-foot-1, 305-pounder, played in 12 games with 11 starts as a senior at Utah last season and finished with 42 total tackles, 1 ½ sacks, three fumble recoveries and a forced fumble.
