FOXBOROUGH, Mass. - The New England Patriots signed tight end Tyson DeVree to the active roster from their practice squad today. Terms of the agreement were not disclosed. DeVree will wear number 85 for the Patriots. New England also placed rookie cornerback Terrence Wheatley on the reserve/injured list. Wheatley will miss the remainder of the 2008 season with a wrist injury. Additionally, the Patriots signed linebacker Darrell Robertson to their practice squad.
DeVree, 23, was originally signed by the Patriots as a rookie free agent on May 5, 2008, and had been a member of the Patriots' practice squad since Sept. 17. DeVree finished his college career at the University of Colorado (2006-07) after transferring from Western Michigan (2003-04) following his sophomore year. The 6-foot-6, 245-pound tight end played in 44 collegiate games and made 96 receptions for 987 yards and 15 receiving touchdowns. After being signed by the Patriots in May, he was released on June 11, 2008 before being re-signed by the Patriots on Aug. 19 and released on Aug. 30. He was signed to the practice squad on Sept. 1, was released from the practice squad on Sept. 4, and later re-signed to the practice squad for his most recent stint on Sept. 17.
Wheatley, 23, was selected by the Patriots in the second round (62nd overall) of the 2008 NFL Draft. The 5-foot-9-inch, 183-pound cornerback played in six games with one start for the Patriots this season, recording two solo tackles and two passes defensed. After seeing reserve action in five of the Patriots' first seven games this season, Wheatley made his first NFL start against Indianapolis on Nov. 2 and left that game due to a second-quarter wrist injury. He had been listed as a day-of-game inactive for each of New England's last two games. Wheatley attended the University of Colorado, where his 1,350 kickoff return yards rank second in school history and his 14 interceptions were tied for second in school annals.
Robertson, 22, was originally signed by the Dallas Cowboys as a rookie free agent following the 2008 NFL Draft. The 6-foot-4-inch, 246-pound linebacker was released by the Cowboys on Aug. 30, 2008. He was signed by the Edmonton Eskimos of the Canadian Football League on Sept. 9, 2008 and played in two games for Edmonton, recording six tackles before being released on Sept. 29.
