FOXBOROUGH, Mass. – The New England Patriots announced today that they signed free agent G Mitch Petrus. Terms of the contract were not announced.
In addition, the Patriots signed LB Jeff Tarpinian to the practice squad and released LB Jerrell Harris from the practice squad.
Petrus, 25, is in his fourth NFL season. He played in six games for the New York Giants in 2012 before being released on Nov. 3. The 6-foot-3, 315 pounder, originally joined the Giants as a fifth-round draft pick (147th overall) out of Arkansas in 2010. Petrus has played in 23 NFL games with three starts at left guard in 2011.
Tarpinian, 25, was released by New England on Nov. 12. He made New England's 53-man roster last season after joining the team as a rookie free agent out of Iowa. The 6-foot-3, 240-pounder played in seven games with one start in 2011 and finished with four defensive tackles and eight special teams tackles. He was placed on injured reserve with a head injury on Nov. 24, 2011. Tarpinian was released by the Patriots on Aug. 31, 2012 and signed to the practice squad on Sept. 1, 2012. He was signed to the 53-man roster from the practice squad on Oct. 20 and played in the last three games, mainly on special teams.
Harris, 23, joined the New England practice squad on Nov. 6. He originally signed with the Atlanta Falcons as a rookie free agent out of Alabama on April 30, 2012. The 6-foot-3, 242-pounder was released by Atlanta at the end of training camp before joining the practice squad of Jacksonville on Sept. 26. He was released from the Jaguars' practice squad on Oct. 25.
