FOXBOROUGH, Mass. (Aug. 29, 2005) -- The New England Patriots released quarterback Rohan Davey, running back Cedric Cobbs and safety Dexter Reid.
Davey was the Patriots' fourth-round draft pick in 2002 out of LSU. He served as Tom Brady's backup last year, but became expendable with the offseason signing of Doug Flutie and the emergence of rookie Matt Cassel during training camp.
In three seasons, Davey played in seven games, completing 8 of 19 passes for 88 yards.
"He's been here for three years, won a couple of championships, been a great leader," Patriots coach Bill Belichick said. "He's done really everything that we've asked."
At LSU, where he played for current Miami Dolphins coach Nick Saban, Davey threw for a school-record 3,347 yards as a senior, leading LSU to its first outright SEC title since 1986.
He was also the 2004 offensive player of the year in NFL Europe when he led Berlin to the championship.
"He certainly deserves, and I'm sure will get, a good opportunity (elsewhere)," Belichick said. "He's going to be in the league. There's no question about that."
Cobbs was drafted by the Patriots in the fourth round out of Arkansas in 2004. As a rookie he played in four games, rushing 22 times for 50 yards. He began the 2004 season on the physically unable to perform list and was on the Patriots' 53-man roster for the final 10 regular-season games and all three playoff contests.
He was sidelined by injury again this year and managed only three carries in the preseason. He was competing with Kory Chapman for the No. 3 running back spot behind starter Corey Dillon and Kevin Faulk.
"He never really got on the field for a significant amount of time," Belichick said. "That didn't help him."
Reid was also drafted in the fourth round last year. He played in 13 games as a rookie, starting two, and had nine tackles, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery. His 16 special teams tackles were fourth on the team.
Reid also played significant minutes in last February's Super Bowl after free safety Eugene Wilson broke his arm in the second quarter.
Reid's departure bodes well for rookie James Sanders, a fourth-round pick from Fresno State, and second-year pro Guss Scott, who spent last year on injured reserve.
