FOXBOROUGH, Mass. - The New England Patriots signed free agent safety Michael Stone and re-signed offensive lineman Gene Mruczkowski today. Stone will wear number 24 and Mruczkowski will wear number 64. The team also signed guard Ryan Krug to the practice squad and released linebacker Jared Newberry from the practice squad. New England's active roster is now at its 53-man limit and the practice squad has its full complement of eight players.
Stone, 27, was originally drafted by the Arizona Cardinals in the second round (54th overall) of the 2001 NFL Draft. The 6-foot, 201-pound safety played in 37 games with no starts over four seasons with the Cardinals (2001-04). The Memphis product has recorded four defensive tackles and 29 special teams tackles in his career. In 2004, Stone ranked second on the Cardinals with a career-high 17 special teams tackles while playing in 14 games. The Southfield, Mich. native played in seven games as a rookie for Arizona in 2001, and then played in all 16 contests in 2002, recording 11 special teams tackles and two defensive stops. He spent the 2003 season on injured reserve. Stone signed with the St. Louis Rams as an unrestricted free agent on March 15, 2005, and was released by the Rams during the final preseason roster cutdown on Sept. 4, 2005.
Mruczkowski, 25, was originally signed by the Patriots as an undrafted free agent on May 16, 2003. The 6-foot-2-inch, 305-pound offensive lineman has played in 10 career games, all with the Patriots in 2004. The Purdue product spent the entire 2004 season on the active roster and served as the backup center and on special teams for most of the year. Mruczkowski did not play as a rookie in 2003, beginning the season on the reserve/PUP list and ending the year on injured reserve. He was released by the Patriots on Sept. 3, 2005.
Krug, 23, was originally signed by the Patriots as an undrafted free agent on April 29, 2005. The 6-foot-4-inch, 305-pound offensive lineman played for the Patriots in the 2005 preseason before being released on Sept. 3, 2005. Krug, who attended the University of Connecticut, returns to the practice squad after spending five days on the squad from Sept. 4 to Sept. 8.
Newberry, 23, was originally drafted by the Washington Redskins in the sixth round (183rd overall) of the 2005 NFL Draft. The 6-foot-1-inch, 234-pound linebacker spent 2005 training camp with Washington and was released by the Redskins on Aug. 31, 2005. Newberry was signed to the Patriots practice squad on Sept. 4, 2005.
