Patriots Waive Player After Costly Missed Block Vs. Steelers

One day after snapping their five-game losing streak, the Patriots made a change to their 53-man roster.

New England on Friday waived veteran running back/wide receiver Ty Montgomery. The move cleared a roster spot for linebacker Christian Elliss, whom the Patriots claimed off waivers from the Philadelphia Eagles.

Montgomery played in all 13 games this season for the Patriots before his release. But despite injuries depleting both of his position groups, he saw minimal playing time at running back or wideout.

The 30-year-old played just 42 snaps on offense — an average of just over three per game — carrying the ball three times for 9 yards and catching five passes on 12 targets for 40 yards. He was a core special teamer (198 snaps) but committed a costly error in the kicking game Thursday night, missing a block that led to a blocked punt in the Patriots’ 21-18 win over the Pittsburgh Steelers.

The play set up a short-field Steelers touchdown that cut New England’s lead to three points early in the fourth quarter. The next time the Patriots punted, safety Kyle Dugger was in Montgomery’s spot on the punt team.

Montgomery also served as the Patriots’ primary kick returner. He averaged 24.3 yards per runback on nine attempts with a long of 43 yards.

The Patriots reportedly beat out five other teams to claim Elliss, who played 238 snaps on special teams and 119 on defense for Philadelphia. The Eagles released him this week after signing former Indianapolis Colts linebacker Shaquille Leonard.

New England will host the Kansas City Chiefs next Sunday at Gillette Stadium.