The Patriots made some minor moves late in the day on Wednesday, claiming cornerback Antwaun Molden off waivers from Houston while moving rookie fifth-round pick Marcus Cannon to the reserve-non-football injury list, according to ESPNBoston's Mike Reiss.
Molden was Houston's third-round pick in 2008 but has never started a game in his three NFL seasons. The 26-year-old corner has appeared in 32 games after playing his college ball at Eastern Kentucky. The 6-1, 200-pound Molden will have to make a quick impression and he'll likely get a chance tonight against the Giants with starter Leigh Bodden still on the mend from an undisclosed injury that his kept him out of action for the past two weeks. Molden will likely need to show the ability to perform on special teams if he's to earn a spot.
To make room for Molden on the roster, the Patriots moved Cannon from the active to reserve/NFI list. That means the rookie will miss at least the first six weeks of the season. Beginning in Week 7, the Patriots will have a three-week window in which Cannon will be able to begin practicing. Once he returns to practice, the team will have another three weeks to add Cannon to their 53-man active roster.
The move was not a surprise considering Cannon completed chemotherapy treatments for non-Hodgkin's lymphoma over the summer. Bill Belichick indicated recently that the TCU product was still working his way back from his illness.
"He does have some limitations. When those limitations are lifted then we'll be able to evaluate him like everybody else and see what he can do without any limitations," Belichick said Tuesday. "But right now, we're just not at the point yet. But I think he's doing well and we're getting closer, but we're still not there yet."
