Patriots Release Veteran Linebacker After Signing Jamie Collins

The Patriots on Monday made a pair of moves involving veteran linebackers.

The first was reported in the morning, with Mike Reiss of ESPN revealing that Jamie Collins will return to New England for a fourth tour of duty. Hours later, Reiss reported the Patriots released fellow linebacker Harvey Langi from their practice squad. New England made both transactions official Monday evening, and in doing so confirmed Collins will join the practice squad rather than the 53-man roster.

Langi, 30, was released ahead of roster cutdowns in August before landing on the Patriots’ practice squad. He was active for Weeks 2 and 3 but wasn’t elevated for Sunday’s game against the Green Bay Packers.

There still could be another roster shoe to drop.

New England currently has an open spot on its 53-man roster as offensive tackle Marcus Cannon technically still is on the practice squad. Should Cannon be signed to the 53-man roster to fill the spot vacated by Yodny Cajuste (injured reserve), the Patriots then would have another open spot on their practice squad. Cannon played well in Green Bay and at times replaced starting right tackle Isaiah Wynn, who got benched early in the second quarter.

If Cannon instead reverts back to the practice squad, the Patriots would have an open spot on their 53-man roster. Got it? Good.

New England will host the Detroit Lions this Sunday afternoon.