Monday, July 28, 2014

Patriots flip a veteran linebacker for a rookie tailback

BY NICK ST. DENIS

Another day, another training camp roster swap for the New England Patriots.

The team announced Monday it has claimed rookie running back Tyler Gaffney off waivers from the Carolina Panthers, and in addition, released veteran linebacker Josh Hull.

Gaffney, 23, was originally drafted by the Panthers in the sixth round of the 2014 NFL Draft out of Stanford. He was injured in training camp and was released by the Panthers Sunday.

The 6-foot, 220-pounder, had a productive senior season in 2013, starting in all 14 games and finishing with 330 rushing attempts for 1,709 yards and 21 rushing touchdowns.

Gaffney played as a true in 2009 and then took the 2012 season off to play professional baseball in the Pittsburgh Pirates minor league system, before returning to college football for the 2013 season.

Hull, 27, is a veteran of four NFL seasons with the St. Louis Rams (2010-12) and the Washington Redskins (2013), who was signed by the Patriots as a free agent in April. The 6-foot-3, 245-pounder was originally drafted by St. Louis in the seventh round out of Penn State in 2010.

He was released by St. Louis at the end of training camp in 2013 and signed with Washington as a free agent in October. Hull has played in 39 NFL games with one start and has registered 25 total tackles. Last season with the Rams, he played in 11 games and finished with 14 total tackles.

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