FOXBOROUGH, Mass. - The New England Patriots released wide receiver Doug Gabriel today. Additionally, the Patriots signed two players to their practice squad - defensive back Justin Phinisee and safety Guss Scott. New England also released cornerback James Patrick from its practice squad.
Gabriel, 26, was acquired by the Patriots from the Oakland Raiders on Sept. 2, 2006 in exchange for an undisclosed draft choice. The 6-foot-2-inch, 215-pound wide receiver is in his fourth NFL season and has played in 54 career games with 12 starts and has caught 96 passes for 1,466 yards (15.3 avg.) and eight touchdowns. This season with the Patriots, Gabriel caught 25 passes for 344 yards (13.8 avg.) and three touchdowns while playing in 12 games with five starts. Gabriel was selected by the Oakland Raiders in the fifth round (167th overall) of the 2003 NFL Draft and spent his first three seasons (2003-05) with Oakland, playing in 42 games with seven starts.
Phinisee, 23, was drafted by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the seventh round (235th overall) of the 2006 NFL Draft. The 5-foot-11-inch, 200-pound cornerback was with Tampa Bay during its 2006 training camp and was released on Aug. 29. The Oregon product was signed to the Kansas City Chiefs practice squad on Oct. 4, 2006 and was released from the practice squad on Nov. 7.
Scott, 24, was drafted by the Patriots in the third round (95th overall) of the 2004 NFL Draft. The 5-foot-10-inch, 205-pound safety has played in 10 career games with two starts and has recorded 30 career tackles (23 solo). As a rookie in 2004, Scott missed the entire season due to a knee injury. Last season, the Florida product played in five games with two starts for the Patriots, recording 19 tackles (16 solo) before being placed on injured reserve on Oct. 19, 2005. Scott was with New England for its 2006 training camp, but was released on Sept. 2, 2006 and signed with the Houston Texans the following day. He played in five of the first 10 games of the 2006 season for Houston, recording 11 tackles (7 solo), before being released on Nov. 21. He was signed by the New York Jets on Nov. 23, but was released on Nov. 29 and did not appear in a game for New York.
Patrick, 24, was signed to the Patriots practice squad on Nov. 1, 2006. He was originally signed by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers as a rookie free agent on May 2, 2005. The 5-foot-11-inch, 185-pound defensive back spent the entire 2005 season on Tampa Bay's practice squad. Patrick was released by the Buccaneers on Sept. 2, 2006.
