FOXBOROUGH, Mass. - The New England Patriots re-signed defensive back Omare Lowe and linebacker Justin Kurpeikis to the team's practice squad after the two players cleared waivers this afternoon.

Kurpeikis, 27, played in five games for the Patriots this season and recorded six special teams tackles after being signed to the active roster from the practice squad on Nov. 22. The 6-foot-3-inch, 254-pounder has played in 14 regular-season games and one playoff game in his career, recording a total of two defensive tackles and nine special teams tackles. Kurpeikis, who spent two weeks on the Patriots practice squad in 2003, was signed by the Patriots as a free agent on Feb. 6, 2004 and participated in all four of the team's preseason games before he was released in the final roster cutdown on Sept. 5. He was signed to the practice squad the next day and remained with the practice squad until he was signed to the active roster on Nov. 22. The Penn State product was originally signed by the Pittsburgh Steelers as an undrafted free agent on April 23, 2001. He played in three games for the Steelers in 2001 and saw action in six contests in 2002 before he was released following training camp in 2003.

Lowe, 26, has spent two stints on the Patriots' active roster this season and has also spent time on the team's practice squad. The 6-foot-1-inch, 195-pounder has played in a total of five NFL games in his career and recorded one special teams tackle. He played in two games for New England in 2004, participating against Baltimore on Nov. 28 and at Miami on Dec. 20. Lowe was signed to the Patriots practice squad on Nov. 16, then joined the active roster on Nov. 27 and played in the Patriots' 24-3 victory over Baltimore on Nov. 28. He was released from the active roster on Nov. 29 and was re-signed to the practice squad on Dec. 1 before re-joining the active roster on Monday, Dec. 20. The University of Washington product was originally drafted by the Miami Dolphins in the fifth round (161st overall) of the 2002 NFL Draft. Lowe has also spent time on the active rosters of the Miami Dolphins (2002) and the New York Jets (2003), while also seeing time with the practice squads of the Tennessee Titans (2003) and Minnesota Vikings (2004). He played in two games for the Jets last season and saw time in one game with Miami as a rookie in 2002.