FOXBOROUGH, Mass. – The New England Patriots announced that they have signed veteran LB Ramon Humber. Terms of the contract were not announced. In addition, the Patriots released LB Dane Fletcher.
Humber, 28, is a veteran of seven NFL seasons with Indianapolis (2009-10) and New Orleans (2010-15). The 5-foot-11, 232-pounder, was released by New Orleans on Feb. 2, 2016. He originally entered the NFL as a rookie free agent with Indianapolis in 2009 out of North Dakota State. He made the 53-man roster out of training camp as a rookie and played in all 16 games, starting the final two at linebacker, and finished with 22 total tackles and a team-high of 17 special teams tackles. He added three special teams tackles in three postseason games, including Super Bowl XLIV against New Orleans. Humber played in the first two games of the season for Indianapolis in 2010 before being placed on injured reserve. He was signed by New Orleans on Dec. 1, 2010 after being released by Indianapolis on Nov. 9, 2010. Over the last six seasons with New Orleans, he has been a key special teams player as well as a reserve linebacker. Last season, Humber played in 14 games with four starts and finished with 47 total tackles and one sack. Overall, Humber has played in 92 NFL games with 18 starts and has accumulated 194 total tackles, 3 1/2 sacks, four passes defensed and 75 special teams tackles.
Fletcher, 29, was re-signed by the Patriots on May 26, 2015, but spent the season on the Reserve/P.U.P list. The 6-foot-2, 245-pounder, originally entered the NFL as a rookie free agent with New England out of Montana State on April 29, 2010. He signed with Tampa Bay as an unrestricted free agent on March 16, 2014. Fletcher has played in 54 NFL games with 10 starts and has registered 101 total tackles, 4 1/2 sacks, one interception, three passes defensed, three forced fumbles and two fumble recoveries. He has also added 41 special teams tackles, including a team-high 15 special teams tackles with the Patriots in 2013. He has played in six postseason games with one start for the Patriots, accumulating 14 total tackles.
