Following a heartbreaking loss to the Arizona Cardinals 20-18 in week two that saw starting tight end Aaron Hernandez get injured, the New England Patriots have signed a crop of new players to fill the void.
On Wednesday the team officially announced the signings of former Patriot receiver Deion Branch, linebacker Niko Koutouvides and tight end Kellen Winslow. TO make room for the players, the Patriots released receiver Greg Salas, linebacker Mike Rivera and running back Lex Hilliard.
Bringing in Winslow will help the Patriots replace the production of Hernandez, who hurt his ankle against the Cardinals and will be out for at least three weeks.
Through two games Hernanzdez had been New England's most effective receiver, catching six balls for 59 yards and a touchdown in week one against the Titans. He was hurt early in the Arizona game and never recorded a catch.
The deal for Winslow will be a one-year contract according to ESPN.com and comes after the Patriots brought him for a visit two weeks ago. Winslow is a similar player to Hernandez and will help the Patriots when they match up against the Baltimore Ravens on Sunday night.
Winslow spent last season with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and caught 75 passes for 763 yards with two touchdowns before he was traded to the Seattle Seahawks. After being waived by Seattle, the Patriots showed interest, but didn't sign him until Hernandez went down.
Hernandez has been one of the most dynamic tight ends in football, pairing with Rob Gronkowski to create near-impossible matchups for teams. Last season he had 79 receptions for 910 yards and seven touchdowns
Branch was a member of the Patriots in training camp, but was one of the surprise cuts when the team went down to 53 players to start the season. Many on the team expected him to return eventually, even leaving his locker intact.
"Deion has been a great player here for a long time," said Patriots quarterback Tom Brady to ESPN.com. "It's always great to see him back, I was hoping it would happen."
Branch spent six of the past 10 years with the Patriots and was Super Bowl MVP in 2005. Last year he caught 51 balls and five touchdowns while starting 15 games.
While bringing in Branch will help with the loss of Hernandez, it also adds another receiver to the mix for the Patriots, who have a lot of depth at the position. He joins Wes Welker, Brandon Lloyd and Julian Edelman as the primary targets.
The move also brings up questions about how the Patriots have handled Welker in recent weeks. In week two, Patriots coach Bill Belichick opted to start Edelman over Welker, even though last season Welker led the league with 122 catches and Edelman had four.
Welker missed some time in training camp and the preseason due to a contract dispute, which makes some wonder if Belichick is fed up with the receiver and possibly phasing him out of the offense.
Since Welker joined the Patriots in 2007 he has caught more passes than any other receiver in the league and holds the all-time Patriots franchise record for receptions.
The addition of Koutouvides will most likely impact the Patriots special teams, which had some issues against Arizona, including a punt that was blocked and two that were close to being blocked.
Salas had previously been acquired for a seventh-round draft pick from the Rams on Sept. 1.
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