FOXBOROUGH, Mass. –The New England Patriots announced that they have released cornerback Kyle Arrington and signed free agent tight end Fred Davis and free agent offensive lineman Kevin Hughes. Terms of the contracts were not announced.
Arrington, 28, has spent the last five seasons with New England after joining the Patriots' practice squad on Sept. 21, 2009. The 5-foot-10, 190-pounder, was signed to the New England 53-man roster from the practice squad on Nov. 8, 2009. Arrington originally entered the NFL as a rookie free agent with Philadelphia out of Hofstra in 2008. He began the 2008 season on the Philadelphia practice squad before finishing the season on the Tampa Bay practice squad. Arrington began the 2009 season on Tampa Bay's practice squad but was signed to the 53-man roster prior to the Buccaneers' season-opener against Dallas. He made his NFL debut against the Cowboys on special teams. Arrington was waived by Tampa Bay on Sept. 14 and joined the New England practice squad on Sept. 21.
Arrington has played in 87 NFL games with 56 starts and has 310 total tackles, nine interceptions with one returned for a touchdown, 48 passes defensed and 63 special teams tackles. In 2011, he tied Charles Woodson and Eric Weddle for the NFL lead with seven interceptions. Last season, Arrington played in 14 games with four starts and finished with 33 total tackles, 1 sack, four passes defensed, two forced fumbles and seven special teams tackles. In addition, he returned a fumble on a kickoff 9 yards for a touchdown in the win vs. Cincinnati on Oct. 5, 2014 and returned a blocked field goal 62 yards for a touchdown in the win vs. Miami on Dec. 14, 2014.
Davis, 29, is a veteran of six NFL seasons (2008-13) with the Washington Redskins after entering the NFL as a second-round draft pick (48th overall) out of USC in the 2008 NFL Draft. The 6-foot-4, 247-pounder, has played in 72 NFL games with 43 starts and has 162 receptions for 2,043 yards with 13 touchdowns. His best statistical season was in 2011 when he caught 59 passes for 796 yards with three touchdowns.
Hughes, 26, originally entered the NFL as a rookie free agent with the St. Louis Rams on July 29, 2011 out of Southeastern Louisiana. The 6-foot-4, 315-pounder, began his rookie season on the Rams' practice squad before being signed to the 53-man roster on Nov. 19, 2011. He played in three games that season as a reserve on the offensive line. Hughes was released by St. Louis on Aug. 27, 2012 before being signed to the San Diego practice squad on Nov. 21, 2012. He then signed with Green Bay on Feb. 1, 2013 but was released on Aug. 31, 2013. Hughes signed with Carolina on Feb. 4, 2015 but was released on March 10, 2015.
