The New England Patriots had a busy Tuesday: Not only did the team return to the first practice after its bye week, it also placed linebacker Dont'a Hightower on injured reserve and signed defensive lineman Ricky Jean-Francois to fill his spot. Furthermore, the team re-signed another defensive lineman to its practice squad while brining in a rookie for a free agency workout.
The defensive lineman added to the practice squad is Mike Purcell, who already was with the Patriots' scout team for one day in late October. The 6'3, 330 lbs Purcell originally entered the NFL as an undrafted rookie free agent in 2013.