The Patriots have made a move to get younger at wide receiver.
New England today released veteran Deion Branch and brought Greg Salas up to the 53-man roster from the practice squad, Tom Curran of CSNNE.com reports.
Salas was a 2011 fourth-round draft pick of the Rams whom the Patriots traded for in September. But the Patriots apparently didn’t think Salas was ready, because they soon cut him and re-signed Branch, then brought Salas back to the practice squad. Now that Salas has a couple months of work under his belt, he’s back on the roster and Branch is out, at least for now.
Branch, who suffered a hamstring injury and was questionable for Sunday’s game against the Colts, will be available on waivers on Monday for any team that wants him. If no team claims him, it wouldn’t be surprising for the Patriots to bring him back.
The Patriots have also released cornerback Malcolm Williams and officially added cornerback Aqib Talib to the 53-man roster.