FOXBOROUGH, Mass. - The New England Patriots have re-signed offensive lineman Billy Yates. Terms of the agreement were not disclosed.
Yates, 28, has spent the last five seasons with the Patriots (2004-08) and has played in 25 career games with 10 starts. In 2008, Yates started the first seven games of the season at right guard. The 6-foot-2-inch, 305-pound interior lineman was originally signed by the Miami Dolphins as a rookie free agent prior to the 2003 season. He played in three games for the Dolphins as a rookie, then spent all but one week of the 2004 season on the Patriots practice squad. Yates began the 2005 season on the practice squad, was signed to the active roster on Nov. 12 and played in four regular-season games and one playoff contest that season. In 2006, he began the season on the practice squad and was signed to the active roster on Oct. 21, 2006. That season he started three games at right guard and made his first career NFL start at Minnesota on Oct. 30, 2006. The Texas A&M product played in seven games with one start for the Patriots in 2007.
