FOXBOROUGH, Mass. - The New England Patriots signed rookie center Brian Barthelmes to their practice squad today. The Patriots practice squad now stands at its limit of eight players following the signing of offensive lineman Billy Yates to the active roster on Sat., Oct. 21.
Barthelmes, 23, was originally signed by the Patriots as an undrafted rookie free agent on May 8, 2006. The 6-foot-6-inch, 300-pound offensive lineman participated in the first three games of the 2006 preseason before being released on Aug. 29, 2006. Barthelmes attended the University of Virginia, there he played in 47 games with 38 starts over four seasons from 2002-05. He was a versatile presence on the interior of the Cavaliers' offensive line, starting 28 games at guard and 10 games at center in his career.
