The New England Patriots added another body Monday to their revamped tight end room.
Ahead of their first padded training camp practice, the Patriots signed former Oakland Raiders tight end Paul Butler, a source told NESN.com’s Doug Kyed.
Butler doesn’t exactly address the lack of NFL experience in that position group — he’s never appeared in a regular-season game — but this will be his third year in the league. The California (Pa.) product spent most of the last two seasons on Oakland’s practice squad.
In eight preseason games for the Raiders, Butler caught eight passes on 13 targets for 83 yards and no touchdowns.
New England’s tight end group entering Monday consisted of 24-year-old Ryan Izzo (six career NFL appearances) and rookies Devin Asiasi, Dalton Keene, Jake Burt and Rashod Berry. (Berry is listed as a tight end/defensive end.) The Patriots reportedly planned to sign ex-New York Jet Jordan Leggett last week, but that signing fell through.
Butler’s arrival left the Patriots with four open spots on their 80-man roster.
