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| The Patriots have parted ways again with WR Deion Branch. (US Presswire) |
The New England Patriots are walking away from Deion Branch for a second time.
In a somewhat surprising move, New England released the veteran wide receiver and elevated WR Greg Salas from the practice squad to the 53-man roster. To make room for newly acquired cornerback Aqib Talib, the team also released cornerback Malcolm Williams.
The Patriots appeared to move on from Branch earlier this season after cutting him on Aug. 31 and then making a trade with the St. Louis Rams the next day to acquire Salas in exchange for a late-round 2015 draft pick. That move was initially deemed a failure, and Branch was brought back on Sept. 18, with Salas being released and later signed to the practice squad.
Branch, however, has been mostly ineffective since his return. He had nine receptions for 80 yards over 336 snaps. He suffered a hamstring injury in practice this week and was listed as questionable for Sunday’s game against the Colts. With wide receivers Wes Welker (ankle) and Brandon Lloyd (knee) also battling injuries, depth was likely a concern.
Branch will now be subject to waivers and teams will have until 4 p.m. Monday to claim him. A claiming team would have to pay him only the prorated version of his $925,000 base salary. If Branch goes unclaimed, New England could bring him back.
In the final move announced by the team Saturday, WR Jarred Fayson was also released from the practice squad.
Nick Underhill covers the Patriots for MassLive.com. Follow him on Twitter @CBSPats or @Nick_Underhill.
