FOXBOROUGH, Mass. – The New England Patriots announced that they have waived CB Rashaan Melvin. In addition, the Patriots released TE Joseph Fauria from the practice squad.
Melvin, 26, was claimed off waivers from Baltimore and awarded to New England on Oct. 14, 2015. The 6-foot-2, 193-pounder, played in one of Baltimore's first four games in 2015 before being released on Oct. 13. He originally entered the NFL as a rookie free agent with Tampa Bay out of Northern Illinois on May 2, 2013. He made the Tampa Bay 53-man roster as a rookie, but did not play in any games that season. Melvin was with Tampa Bay for the first three games of the 2014 season before being released and signing with the Miami practice squad. He was signed by Baltimore from the Miami practice squad on Nov. 8, 2014 and played in three games with two starts in the regular season and two starts in the postseason. He played in eight games with the Patriots and accumulated 3 tackles and 2 special teams tackles.
Fauria, 25, was signed by New England to the practice squad on Nov. 18, 2015. The 6-foot-7, 262-pounder, is a veteran of two NFL seasons with the Detroit Lions (2013-14). He originally signed with Detroit as a rookie free agent out of UCLA in 2013. Fauria played in 23 games with two starts and caught 24 passes for 281 yards and eight touchdowns in his two seasons with the Lions, including seven touchdowns as a rookie in 2013. Fauria went to training camp with Detroit this past summer but was released on Sept. 5. He was signed by Arizona on Sept. 10 and spent time on the Cardinals practice squad before being released on Oct. 2.
