FOXBOROUGH, Mass. - The New England Patriots signed G Darnell Stapleton and CB DeAngelo Willingham today. Terms of the contracts were not announced. In addition, the Patriots released rookie WR Buddy Farnham and first-year DL Adrian Grady.
Stapleton, 6-3, 305 pounds, is a veteran of three NFL seasons with the Pittsburgh Steelers. He originally joined Pittsburgh as a rookie free agent in 2007 out of Rutgers. He made the 53-man roster as a rookie in 2007 but was inactive for all 16 games. Stapleton played in all 16 regular-season games in 2008 and made 12 starts at right guard. He also started all three postseason games, including the Super Bowl XLIII victory against Arizona. Stapleton was injured in the preseason last year and spent the season on injured reserve.
Willingham, 6-0, 200 pounds, spent two weeks on the Patriots' practice squad in 2009. He was originally signed by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers as a rookie free agent of Tennessee on April 30, 2009. After being waived by Tampa Bay, Willingham was claimed by the Dallas Cowboys at the end of August. The Cowboys waived Willingham in their final cuts. He also spent part of the 2009 season on the Seattle practice squad and part of the 2010 offseason with Cincinnati.
Farnham, 6-0, 185 pounds, was signed by the Patriots as a rookie free agent out of Brown on May 3, 2010. He was named the Ivy League and New England Player of the Year last season as a senior at Brown.
Grady, 6-1, 305 pounds, was originally signed by the Indianapolis Colts as a rookie free agent out of Louisville on April 30, 2009. He was waived by the Colts in their final cuts and spent time on the practice squads of New England and St. Louis last season.
