FOXBOROUGH, Mass. - The New England Patriots signed rookie defensive lineman Santonio Thomas to the practice squad today. Thomas fills a vacancy on the squad that was created by the departure of running back Kory Chapman yesterday. New England's practice squad now stands at its limit of eight players.
Thomas, 24, was originally signed by the Patriots as an undrafted free agent on April 30, 2005. The 6-foot-4-inch, 308-pound defensive lineman was released by New England on Aug. 30, 2005. Thomas attended the University of Miami, where he played in 32 games from 2000-04 and totaled 67 tackles, including three sacks. He was a teammate of Patriots nose tackle Vince Wilfork with the Hurricanes from 2001-03. As a sophomore in 2001, Thomas played in every game for Miami's national championship team. He is a native of Belle Glade, Fla.
