FOXBOROUGH, Mass. - The New England Patriots announced today that they have signed rookie LB Quentin Gause to the practice squad and released LB Rufus Johnson from the practice squad.
Gause, 23, originally signed with the Philadelphia Eagles as a rookie free agent out of Rutgers on May 5, 2016. The 6-foot, 243-pounder, was released by Philadelphia on Sept. 3 and initially signed to the practice squad on Sept. 5 before being released on Sept. 6. He played in 51 college games with 24 starts and finished with 223 total tackles, three sacks, one forced fumble and three fumble recoveries.
Johnson, 26, originally was signed by the Patriots as a free agent on Feb. 6, 2015. The 6-foot-5, 280-pounder, played in one game for the Patriots in 2015 and made on tackle before being placed on the Reserve/Non-Football Illness list on Oct. 28. He originally entered the NFL as a sixth-round draft pick by New Orleans out of Tarleton State in the 2013 NFL Draft. Johnson spent the 2013 regular season on the practice squad before being signed to the 53-man roster for the postseason.
