FOXBOROUGH, Mass. - The New England Patriots announced the signing of unrestricted free agent linebacker Monty Beisel today. The Patriots also announced the re-signing of tight end Jed Weaver and cornerback Hank Poteat. Terms of the agreements were not disclosed.
Beisel, 26, is entering his fifth NFL season after spending his first four years with the Kansas City Chiefs. The 6-foot-3-inch, 238-pound linebacker was originally drafted by the Chiefs in the fourth round (107th overall) of the 2001 NFL Draft. Beisel has played in 55 career games with nine starts - all during the 2004 season - and has seen time at middle linebacker and outside linebacker after spending his rookie season as a defensive end. Additionally, Beisel (pronounced "BI-zul") has been a valuable special teams contributor, recording 58 special teams tackles in four NFL seasons.
Last season, Beisel enjoyed his most productive year as a pro, finishing third on the Chiefs with 64 tackles (48 solo), including a career-high 2.5 sacks and his first career interception. The Kansas State product started nine games in 2004, with five of the starts coming at middle linebacker and four at outside linebacker. He also set a career high with 13 tackles (12 solo) in a game against Carolina (09/19/04).
| MONTY BEISEL | |||||||||||
| Pos: LB | Ht:6-3 | Wt:238 lbs. | Year:5th | Acq:UFA (KC)-05 | College:Kansas State | Born:08/20/78 | |||||
| Year | Team | GP/GS | Tk | Solo | Ast | Sk/Yds | INT/Yds | PD | FF | FR | SpT |
| 2001 | Kansas City | 16/0 | 13 | 7 | 6 | 0.0/0.0 | 0/0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 16 |
| 2002 | Kansas City | 16/0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0.0/0.0 | 0/0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 15 |
| 2003 | Kansas City | 12/0 | 8 | 7 | 1 | 1.0/1.0 | 0/0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 22 |
| 2004 | Kansas City | 11/9 | 64 | 48 | 16 | 2.5/17.5 | 1/-1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 5 |
| Totals - 4 Years | 55/9 | 86 | 62 | 24 | 3.5/18.5 | 1/-1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 58 | |
Additional Statistics - Kickoff Returns: 6 for 56 yards (2 in 2001 season; 4 in 2002 season) Blocked Punts: 1 (10/20/02 vs. Denver) Forced Fumbles on Punt Returns: 1 (10/05/03 vs. Denver) | |||||||||||
