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Monday, August 8, 2011

Patriots Re-Sign Gerard Warren, Release Brandon McGowan


Tying up some loose ends at Patriots training camp, they officially released safety Brandon McGowan and re-signed defensive lineman Gerard Warren.

From Patriots.com
Warren, 6-4, 325 pounds, originally joined the Patriots as a free agent on April 24, 2010. Warren entered the NFL as a first round draft choice (3rd overall) of the Cleveland Browns in the 2001 NFL Draft out of Florida. Warren has played for the Browns (2001-04), Denver Broncos (2005-06) and the Oakland Raiders (2007-09). During his 10 NFL seasons, he has played in 151 games with 137 starts and has registered 303 total tackles, 35.5 sacks, 18 passes defensed, seven forced fumbles and four fumble recoveries.

Last season with the Patriots, Warren played in 16 games with 10 starts and finished with 36 total tackles and 3.5 sacks.

McGowan, 5-11 210 pounds, joined the Patriots in 2009 as a veteran of four NFL seasons, all with the Chicago Bears (2005-2008). He was re-signed by the Patriots on July 30, 2011. Originally signed by the Bears as a rookie free agent in 2005 out of Maine, McGowan missed all of the 2010 season with a chest injury.

In his first season with the Patriots in 2009, McGowan saw action in a career-high 16 games with 11 starting assignments at free safety and set career-highs with 66 total tackles, 10 passes defensed, three forced fumbles and one fumble recovery.


As I said last night, it was expected that McGowan would be shown the door. Likewise, it's not surprising that Gerard Warren was invited back. He had a decent season last year and most importantly, with a year in the fold he's good insurance should one of the newer defensive linemen get hurt or not play well.

Also, some information on Shaun Ellis' contract came out today as New England announced his signing along with Andre Carter. It's a one-year deal and he'll make $4 million this season with another $1 million in performance incentives. Terms of Carter's were not yet disclosed.

An interesting tidbit is that the Patriots now have 22 defensive lineman on the team and they've reached the limit for their roster (90 players). In other words, expect a million more moves in the next few weeks.




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