The Patriots released tight end Matt Lengel and defensive end Caleb Kidder, the team announced Sunday.
Lengel, 26, was signed by New England to the 53-man roster from the Bengals’ practice squad on Nov. 2, 2016. He originally entered the NFL as a rookie free agent with the Bengals out of Eastern Kentucky on May 8, 2015.
The Bengals released Lengel on Sept. 5, 2015, and he spent his rookie season on the team’s practice squad. Lengel began the 2016 season with Cincinnati and was released at the end of training camp before the Bengals signed him back to the practice squad on Sept. 4, 2016.
Lengel played in six games in the regular season and all three postseason games, including Super Bowl LI, last season with the Patriots. He finished with two receptions for 22 yards, including an 18-yard touchdown pass on his very first NFL reception against Jets on Dec. 24.
Kidder, 23, was signed by the Patriots on July 27. He was originally signed by the Vikings as a rookie free agent out of Montana on May 1. Minnesota released him July 21.
Kidder finished his college career with 194 total tackles and 14 sacks in 47 games with 25 starts at Montana. As a senior in 2016, he earned second-team All-Big Sky honors.