FOXBOROUGH, Mass. - The New England Patriots announced today that they have signed WR Bernard Reedy to the practice squad.
In addition, the Patriots released DL Mike Purcell from the practice squad.
Reedy, 26, played in nine games this season for Tampa Bay and caught two passes for 21 yards and accrued 17 yards on three rushing attempts before being released on November 17. The 5-foot-9, 175-pounder originally entered the NFL as a rookie free agent with the Atlanta Falcons on May 12, 2014, out of Toledo. Reedy spent his rookie season on the Atlanta practice squad and was released at the end of training camp on Sept. 2, 2015. He signed with Tampa Bay on Feb. 5, 2016, and was released prior to the start of the regular season on Sept. 7, 2016. Reedy signed with the Tampa Bay practice squad on Dec. 6, 2016, and was added to the 53-man roster on Dec. 21, 2016. He was inactive for the final two games of the regular season.
Purcell, 26, was signed by the Patriots to the practice squad for his second stint this season on November 7. The 6-foot-3, 328-pounder originally joined the New England practice squad on October 25 and was released on October 26. Purcell entered the NFL as a rookie free agent with the San Francisco 49ers out of Wyoming on May 7, 2013. He spent the majority of his first two seasons on the San Francisco practice squad before joining the 49ers 53-man roster on Dec. 19, 2014. Purcell appeared in 25 games with eight starts for the 49ers and totaled 48 tackles, one sack and one forced fumble before being released on May 2, 2017. He was claimed off waivers and awarded to the Los Angeles Rams and was released prior to the start of the 2017 regular season. He also had stints on the Chicago Bears and Carolina Panthers practice squads in 2017.