Less than one week into his New England Patriots tenure, wide receiver Bennie Fowler has found himself back on the free agent streets without an NFL gig to his name, the Patriots confirmed in a press release Saturday afternoon.
Signed on Tuesday, Fowler’s release leaves the Patriots with just five wideouts on their roster in Chris Hogan, Phillip Dorsett, Cordarrelle Patterson, and Corey Coleman. That number jumps to five if you care to include special teams ace Matthew Slater.
Fowler’s release likely comes with a setback for offensive lineman Marcus Cannon, whose availability for Sunday’s head-to-head against the Jacksonville Jaguars has come in doubt, and with Cole Croston promoted up from the team’s practice squad.
The 24-year-old Croston was cut on the final cut-down and then signed to the practice squad. The 6-foot-5, 310-pounder made the 53-man roster out of training camp last season and appeared in three regular-season games and the AFC Championship Game as a rookie. To fill Croston’s spot on the practice squad, Riley McCarron has been brought back to the Patriots.
The 27-year-old Fowler caught 29 passes for 350 yards and three touchdowns a season ago, and according to ESPN’s Mike Reiss, Fowler’s release is the Patriots’ 21st transaction involving a wideout since July 23.
The Patriots will go against the Jaguars at 4:25 p.m. on Sunday.