Patriots add safety to practice squad

The New England Patriots are signing safety Richie Grant to their practice squad, the team announced on Wednesday. Grant was with the team for Wednesday's practice.

Grant, 27, entered the NFL as a second-round pick by the Falcons in 2021 out of UCF. Grant played in 67 games making 33 starts in four years in Atlanta, playing a key role defensively in 2022 and 2023 before being relegated to a special teams role in 2024. He spent this summer with the San Francisco 49ers before being released during final roster cuts.

During his four NFL seasons Grant has accumulated 275 tackles, with three sacks. He also has three career interceptions and 17 pass breakups.

It's not surprising to see the Patriots add safety depth, even on the practice squad. The team has four primary safeties currently on the roster in Jaylinn Hawkins, Kyle Dugger, Dell Pettus, and rookie Craig Woodson - plus primary special teamer Brenden Schooler. There are no other safeties on the practice squad.

Hawkins, who started the first five games of the year for the Patriots, has been dealing with a hamstring injury. He missed last week's game, and did not participate in practice on Wednesday. Grant gives the team added depth if Hawkins continues to miss time.

The Patriots did not need to make a corresponding move to add Hawkins. They had an open roster spot after a trio of moves on Tuesday.