Patriots Release Bret Lockett With Intention of Placing Him on Injured Reserve, Re-Sign Tight End Garrett Mills

by Jeff Howe on Sun, Aug 21, 2011 at 5:57PM

The Patriots have waived safety Bret Lockett with the intention of placing him on injured reserve once he clears waivers.

Lockett tore both his abdomen and groin during Thursday night's victory against the Buccaneers, and he'll need surgery to repair the muscles. Because of the lengthy recovery process, it's expected that he'll clear waivers.

The Patriots also reunited with tight end Garrett Mills, who was in the middle of a controversy between Bill Belichick and former Vikings head coach Brad Childress.

The Pats released Mills — who was drafted by New England in 2006 — at the end of training camp in 2007 with the intention of adding him to their practice squad. When the Vikings claimed him off waivers, Belichick reportedly asked Childress to remove the claim, but Childress refused.

New England also released offensive lineman Zach Roth, who was a long shot to make the roster.