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Roundup: Patriots signing veteran safety Adrian Colbert

Adrian Colbert's winding NFL road has arrived at a new destination.

The safety is signing with the New England Patriots, NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport reported Thursday, per Colbert's agent Drew Rosenhaus.

Once seen as a late-round steal in San Francisco, Colbert hasn't seen the field for more than even half of a season in each of the last three years. He's bounced from team to team (including a practice squad stint in Seattle) before he landed with the Giants in 2020, appearing in six games (two starts) and recording 13 tackles (one for loss).

Colbert is finding a new home with a team that has welcomed a large cast of new additions this offseason. Following the retirement of Patrick Chung, New England was in the market for another option at safety beyond its starting duo of Devin McCourty and Adrian Phillips. Colbert is a low-risk addition who might still have a lot of good football left in him, if he ends up seeing the field for a significant amount of time.

In other roster news, the Patriots are signing running back Tyler Gaffney, Rapoport reported, per a source. The team also announced the signing of long snapper Wesley Farnsworth.

A 2014 sixth-round pick by the Panthers, Gaffney, 30, returned to the NFL in 2020 after a three-year hiatus, signing with the 49ers' practice squad.

Similar to the Jaguars' Tim Tebow, Gaffney -- a two-sport standout at Stanford -- left the league to explore playing baseball. He spent time in the Pittsburgh Pirates' farm system in 2018 before retiring from the sport in February 2019.

Elsewhere around the NFL on Thursday:

  • Speaking of Tebow, the Jacksonville Jaguars officially signed the former Denver Broncos quarterback to play tight end. Jacksonville also signed fifth-round tight end Luke Farrell to his rookie deal.
  • The Buffalo Bills signed defensive tackle Treyvon Hester to a one-year deal.
  • The Washington Football Team released offensive linemen Morgan Moses and Geron Christian. News of Moses' likely departure was initially reported on Tuesday.
  • The Atlanta Falcons signed offensive lineman William Sweet and released offensive lineman Jack Batho.
  • The Dallas Cowboys signed a pair of fourth-round picks, linebacker Jabril Cox and offensive lineman Josh Ball, to their rookie deals. Dallas has now signed six of its 11 draft selections.
  • The Miami Dolphins have signed former Washington offensive lineman Timon Parris, who's played four games in his two-year career. After being waived last September, Parris, 25, logged practice squad stints with the Browns and Football Team during the 2020 season.
  • Denver Broncos linebacker A.J. Johnson has signed his restricted free agent tender, the team announced. Denver also officially signed offensive lineman Cameron Fleming and waived quarterback Case Cookus.
  • The Houston Texans announced the signings of quarterback Jeff Driskel, which was initially reported Wednesday, and receiver Taywan Taylor. Taylor is a former third-round pick of the Titans who played the last two seasons with the Browns.
  • The Arizona Cardinals signed 2021 draft picks cornerback Marco Wilson (No. 136), safety James Wiggins (No. 243) and offensive lineman Michal Menet (No. 247).
  • The Cleveland Browns waived tight end Kyle Markway.