FOXBOROUGH, Mass. - The New England Patriots announced two roster transactions today, placing starting cornerback Otis Smith on injured reserve with a shoulder injury and releasing veteran defensive tackle Steve Martin. With today's transactions, the Patriots now report 51 players on their active roster.
Smith, 37, suffered a shoulder injury on Monday night against the Tennessee Titans and will miss the remainder of the season after being placed on injured reserve. This week's game will be just the second he has missed since returning to the Patriots in 2000 and the first since being listed among the team's inactives against the New York Jets on Sept. 23, 2001. The 5-foot-11-inch, 198-pound cornerback started 13 of 14 games for the Patriots this season and totaled 51 tackles, including 44 solo stops. He also recorded 2 interceptions, 7 passes defensed, forced 2 fumbles and recovered another. In 13 seasons, Smith has accumulated 458 total tackles, 4 sacks, 28 interceptions for 645 yards, 102 passes defensed, 5 forced fumbles and 7 fumble recoveries. He has also contributed on special teams, compiling 80 career tackles.
Martin, 28, was signed by the Patriots as an unrestricted free agent on April 3, 2002. The 6-foot-4-inch, 320-pound defensive tackle appeared in 14 games for the Patriots this season and provided 17 total tackles and one pass defensed. He was originally drafted by the Indianapolis Colts in the fifth round of the 1996 NFL draft and has played for the Colts (1996-98), Philadelphia Eagles (1998-99), Kansas City Chiefs (2000), New York Jets (2001) and the New England Patriots during his seven seasons in the NFL. His career totals include 296 tackles, including 6.5 sacks, 11 passes defensed, 3 forced fumbles and 4 fumble recoveries.
