The Patriots acquired linebacker Prescott Burgess on Tuesday afternoon and traded an undisclosed draft choice to Baltimore. To make room for Burgess on the roster, New England released center Ryan Wendell.
The 6-foot-3, 247-pound Burgess was Baltimore’s sixth-round pick in the 2007 draft. He played in eight games as a rookie but was sidelined for the rest of the season due to a hip injury. The Michigan product was placed on injured reserve for the entirety of the 2008 season after suffering a shoulder injury during the preseason.
He has played in both of Baltimore’s first two games of the 2009 season but did not register any tackles.
The Patriots signed Wendell as a rookie free agent out of Fresno State in 2008. He spent last season on New England’s practice squad but graduated to the 53-man roster this season and played in the first two games on special teams.
