The Patriots open the season with the Dolphins and Vikings and, coincidence or not, they’ve added a pair of players recently dropped by those teams to their practice squad.
Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald reports that former Dolphins running back/kick returner Marcus Thigpen has made a move within the division and Doug Kyed of NESN reports that former Vikings tight end Allen Reisner has also joined the team.
Thigpen is the second former Dolphin to land in New England this week, joining safety Don Jones in the trip from South Florida. He returned a punt and a kickoff for touchdowns in 2012, but didn’t have the same impact in those roles last year. Reisner has 15 games of experience over the last three seasons and caught seven passes for 53 yards.
There are football reasons in both cases for the additions, though it probably doesn’t hurt that they may be able to provide some information or somehow help the Patriots in the mental game ahead of the physical one.
Kyed adds that the Pats have also signed offensive lineman Chris Barker to the practice squad and notes that quarterback McLeod Bethel-Thompson, safety Kanorris Davis and defensive back Daxton Swanson, all of whom were initial practice squad members, weren’t at Wednesday’s practice.