FOXBOROUGH, Mass. - The New England Patriots announced that they have signed rookie defensive lineman Santonio Thomas to the active roster from the practice squad and that rookie defensive lineman Mike Wright has been placed on the reserve/injured list with an ankle injury. Thomas will wear number 92 for the Patriots and is eligible to play in tonight's playoff game against Jacksonville. Wright will miss the remainder of the season and becomes the 11th player to be placed on injured reserve by the Patriots this season.
Thomas, 24, was originally signed by the Patriots as an undrafted free agent on April 30, 2005. The 6-foot-4-inch, 308-pound defensive lineman was released by the Patriots on Aug. 30, 2005 and was signed to the practice squad on Sept. 21, 2005. The University of Miami product spent the final 14 weeks of the regular season as a member of the Patriots practice squad.
Wright, 23, was originally signed by the Patriots as an undrafted free agent on April 29, 2005. The 6-foot-4-inch, 295-pound defensive lineman played in 14 games for the Patriots as a rookie and recorded 16 tackles (10 solo) while seeing reserve action on the defensive line. The University of Cincinnati product was the only 2005 undrafted free agent to earn a spot on the Patriots' opening-day roster this season.
