Practice Squad Includes a Surprise Member

The flurry of roster moves that began yesterday continued today. First, the Patriots claimed T Steve Maneri (Houston) off of the waiver wire. Maneri was an undrafted free agent who played TE in college but was converting to tackle in the pro’s. He spent his time throughout the preseason lining up at left tackle for the Texans. In claiming Maneri, the Pats had to release a player off their 53-man roster, and the player who was released was somewhat of a shocker: LB Tyrone McKenzie. McKenzie had an underwhelming preseason but due to his draft status (third round last year) it was thought that he would stick around, play special teams, and hopefully improve. If he can clear waivers, there’s a possibility he could wind up on the practice squad, which still has positions open. The team must have liked what it saw in undrafted rookie Dane Fletcher more than McKenzie. The practice squad began to take shape today, and there’s a pretty big shocker that has been added to the group.

When we last heard of OLB Shawn Crable, he had been surprisingly released. He opened camp on the PUP list and then was abruptly cut. Now, he has found his way back on the team as a member of the team’s practice squad. I have to say that I’m dumbfounded here. Why wasn’t he brought back during camp so that he could practice with the team and see some game action? We likely will never know the reasoning behind all of this, but hopefully he can work himself back into the player that made him a third-round draft pick. In addition to Crable, the following players have also been signed to the practice squad:

• WR Darnell Jenkins, who made a splash in the preseason.
• S Sergio Brown, another preseason stand-out.
• G Rich Ohrnberger, last year’s 4th round pick who started the final preseason game.

The Patriots can carry 8 players on the practice squad, so there are still some moves to be made. Two players who will not be returning to New England are QB Zac Robinson and C/G Ted Larsen, who were claimed off waivers by the Seattle Seahawks and Tampa Bay Buccaneers, respectively. Stay tuned…