FOXBOROUGH, Mass. – The New England Patriots announced that they have signed rookie RB Sam McGuffie to the practice squad and released RB Cierre Wood from the practice squad.

McGuffie, 24, was originally signed by the Oakland Raiders on April 29, 2013 as a rookie free agent out of Rice. The 5-10, 200-pounder was released by Oakland on Aug. 26 and signed by the Arizona Cardinals to the practice squad on Sept. 3 before being released on Sept. 17. McGuffie began his college career at Michigan as a running back, seeing action as a true freshman, before transferring to Rice. After two seasons as a running back at Rice, he made a successful transition from running back to slot receiver as a senior in 2012 and finished with 54 receptions for 603 yards and five touchdowns.

Wood, 22, was signed to the New England practice squad on Nov. 5. The 5-11, 215-pounder was originally signed by the Houston Texans as a rookie free agent out of Notre Dame on May 10, 2013. He made the Houston 53-man roster out of training camp and played in three games before being released on Oct. 21. Wood had three rushing attempts for nine yards in his three NFL games.