FOXBOROUGH, Mass. - The New England Patriots re-signed wide receiver Andre' Davis and defensive back Hank Poteat today. Terms of the agreements were not disclosed. The team also announced that safety Guss Scott has been placed on the reserve / injured list with a knee injury and that linebacker Wesly Mallard has been released.
Davis, 26, was re-signed after being initially acquired by the Patriots in a trade with the Cleveland Browns on Aug. 22, 2005. He was listed among New England's day-of-game inactive players for each of the first three games this season before being released on Sept. 28. Davis is in his fourth NFL season and was originally selected by the Browns in the second round (47th overall) of the 2002 NFL Draft. In three seasons in Cleveland, the 6-foot-1-inch, 195-pound receiver started 19 of 39 games and made 93 receptions for 1,412 yards and 13 touchdowns.
Poteat, 28, was re-signed after being initially acquired by the Patriots as a free agent on Jan. 10, 2005. The 5-foot-10-inch, 192-pound cornerback participated in three playoff games for New England last season and recorded three solo tackles. In his career, Poteat has played in 42 regular-season games for the Pittsburgh Steelers (2000-02) and Tampa Bay Buccaneers (2003), recording nine solo tackles, three fumble recoveries and 31 special teams tackles. He has also returned 45 kickoffs for 818 yards (18.2 avg) and 76 punts for 788 yards (10.4 avg) and a touchdown. In the playoffs, Poteat has played in five career games with one start for Pittsburgh (2002) and New England (2004). The University of Pittsburgh product was originally drafted by the Steelers in the third round (77th overall) of the 2000 NFL Draft.
Scott, 23, was originally drafted by the Patriots in the third round (95th overall) of the 2004 NFL Draft. The 5-foot-10-inch, 205-pound safety played in five games with two starts for the Patriots this season, recording 19 tackles (16 solo) and five special teams tackles. The University of Florida product was placed on injured reserve on Aug. 30, 2004, and missed his rookie campaign due to injury.
Mallard, 26, was signed by the Patriots as a veteran free agent on April 19, 2005. He has played in three games for New England in 2005. Mallard participated in the first two games of the season and recorded three special teams tackles (2 solo) before being released on Sept. 27. He was re-signed on Oct. 12, and played in last week's game against Denver and did not record any statistics. The 6-foot-1-inch, 230-pound linebacker and special teams player has appeared in 36 career games and is in his fourth NFL season. Mallard spent the first three years of his career (2002-04) with the New York Giants, who selected him in the sixth round (188th overall) of the 2002 NFL Draft out of Oregon. Mallard's career totals include four defensive tackles (3 solo) and 37 special teams tackles.
