Patriots Cap A Busy Day At Gillette By Bringing Back Deion Branch

When wide receiver Deion Branch was cut on August 31 as the Patriots trimmed their preseason roster down to 53 players, it was a pretty surprising development. However, I think most smart fans realized there was a good chance that he would be back soon enough this season in Foxborough.

It only took a little more than two weeks (and two games) and I'm happy to report that Branch has reached an agreement to return to New England. Apparently it was such a foregone conclusion that the team left his locker in place at Gillette Stadium. Aaron Hernandez's injury likely was the main catalyst for Branch's return since they'll need to find a way to duplicate Hernandez's production with multiple guys.

At 33, Branch is pretty long in the tooth for an NFL receiver but he put up decent numbers last season: 51 catches for 702 yards and five touchdowns in 15 games. Most importantly, he knows Tom Brady better than probably anyone that has ever played with him. Plus he's an outstanding leader and great teammate so you can always use a guy like that, especially in a time like this with the uncertainty surrounding the Wes Welker/Julian Edelman situation.

To make room for Branch and Kellen Winslow, the Pats released wide receiver Greg Salas, linebacker Mike Rivera and fullback Lex Hilliard. It's not hyperbole to say that those were probably the last three guys on the roster anyway. Salas never played since coming over from St. Louis a few weeks back, Rivera was only on special teams and Hilliard occupies a forgotten position.

It'll be interesting to see how much Branch and Winslow play on Sunday against the Ravens. It's shaping up to be a huge game since both teams are 1-1 and each are coming off a disappointing loss last Sunday. Baltimore has won 20 of its last 21 games at home so it is going to take a special effort from New England to beat them. If I had to put money on it, I would guess that Branch is more likely to see the field since he knows the playbook from last season and this preseason. One would think Winslow will need more time to get up to speed.

UPDATE 9/19: Filling that last roster spot, the Patriots also brought back linebacker Niko Koutouvides. He played in the last 11 regular season games and three playoff games last season. He was a staple of all four special teams units, which were a disaster on Sunday against the Cardinals.

Salas will return to the practice squad according to ESPNBoston.com's Mike Reiss.

UPDATE 9/20: With Salas back, wide receiver Kerry Taylor was released from the practice squad.

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