FOXBOROUGH, Mass. – The New England Patriots announced that they have signed rookie LB Deontae Skinner to the 53-man roster from the practice squad.
In addition, the Patriots released LB Darius Fleming.
Skinner, 23, was originally signed by New England as a rookie free agent out of Mississippi State on May 12, 2014. The 6-foot-2, 250-pounder, was released by the Patriots on Aug. 26, 2014 and signed to the practice squad on Sept. 1, 2014. He played in 47 games with 35 starts over his four-year college career and finished with 202 total tackles.
Fleming, 25, was signed by New England as a free agent on May 16, 2014. The 6-foot-2, 255-pounder, was originally drafted by San Francisco in the fifth-round (165th overall) of the 2012 NFL Draft out of Notre Dame. He spent the 2012 and 2013 seasons on injured reserve with a knee injury and was released by the 49ers on May 12, 2014. Fleming was inactive last week at Miami (9/7).
