Patriots Lose Fifth Player Off Practice Squad; Dolphins Sign Linebacker

FOXBORO, Mass. — Hard Rock Stadium is a 1,300-mile drive from the tip of Connecticut, but the Miami Dolphins might as well be called the Tropical New England Patriots.

The Dolphins added another former Patriots player on Tuesday, this time signing linebacker Calvin Munson straight off New England’s practice squad. It’s the second time Miami has signed a player off the Patriots’ practice squad this month. They also grabbed defensive back Nate Brooks last week.

Overall, it’s the fifth time a team has signed a player off the Patriots’ practice squad this season. The Jacksonville Jaguars signed center Tyler Gauthier earlier this month. In October, the Baltimore Ravens signed defensive end Ufomba Kamalu and the Houston Texans signed offensive tackle Dan Skipper.

New England plays the Dolphins, whose head coach Brian Flores is a former Patriots assistant, in Week 17. Dolphins offensive coordinator Chad O’Shea, assistant quarterbacks coach Jerry Schulpinski and cornerbacks coach Josh Boyer also are former Patriots assistants.

The Dolphins also have former Patriots cornerbacks Eric Rowe and Jomal Wiltz on their active roster. Former Patriots cornerbacks Ryan Lewis, Aqib Talib and Ken Webster are on injured reserve. They previously had former Patriots cornerback Johnson Bademosi on their 53-man roster. It makes sense for the Dolphins to poach players from the Patriots given their experience with Flores.

The Patriots are left with eight healthy players on their practice squad:

WR Quincy Adeboyejo
WR Devin Ross
G Najee Toran
DE Tashawn Bower
DE Eric Lee
DT Nick Thurman
LB Terez Hall
S Adarius Pickett
S Obi Melifonwu (injured)