Caleb Benenoch’s New England Patriots tenure lasted exactly two weeks.
NFL Media’s Mike Garafolo reported Tuesday the Patriots are waiving Benenoch, the offensive lineman they signed after placing left tackle Isaiah Wynn on injured reserve Sept. 17.
Benenoch did not play in a game for New England, sitting out wins over the New York Jets and Buffalo Bills as a healthy scratch. The 25-year-old spent the previous four seasons in Tampa Bay and was the Buccaneers’ starting right guard in 2018.
The Patriots now have the 53-man roster space necessary to activate tight end Ben Watson, who was suspended for the first four games after failing an offseason PED test. New England received a roster exemption for Watson, however, meaning it’s not required to officially add him to the roster until Saturday and leaving open the possibility for additional moves this week.
At the moment, though, it appears third-string quarterback Cody Kessler is safe. Kessler, who signed with the team last week and was a healthy scratch against Buffalo, was an obvious candidate to be released for Watson with Tom Brady and Jarrett Stidham occupying the spots above him on the depth chart.
Watson is eligible to make his season debut this Sunday against the Washington Redskins.
