FOXBOROUGH, Mass. – The New England Patriots announced that they have signed first-year DL Marcus Forston to the 53-man roster from the practice squad. To make room on the roster, the Patriots released DT Andre Neblett.

Forston, 24, was originally signed by the Patriots as a rookie free agent on May 10, 2012 out of Miami. The 6-foot-3, 305-pounder made the 53-man roster of training camp as a rookie 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 but was inactive for the game. Forston made his NFL debut as a defensive reserve at Baltimore on Sept. 23, 2012. He went to training camp with the Patriots this past summer but was released on Aug. 31 and signed to the practice squad on Sept. 1.

Neblett, 25, was signed by the Patriots on Wednesday, Oct. 9. He is a veteran of three NFL seasons with the Carolina Panthers after joining the team as a rookie free agent out of Temple in in 2010. The 6-foot, 310-pounder signed with Tampa Bay as an unrestricted free agent on May 6, 2013 but was released by the Buccaneers on Aug. 31, 2013. Neblett has played in 30 NFL games with seven starts during his three seasons with the Panthers and has registered 28 total tackles, three sacks and two fumble recoveries. Last season, he played in 11 games with two starts and recorded 11 tackles and a 1/2 sack.