Rookie running back Tyler Gaffney is in high demand. One day after being released by the Carolina Panthers, he was picked up by the New England Patriots.
Gaffney was drafted by the Panthers in the sixth round of the 2014 NFL Draft with the 204th overall pick. In training camp, he got injured, which led to the team cutting ties with him.
He played college football at Stanford, where he picked up 1,709 yards and 21 rushing touchdowns on 330 carriers in 2013. He missed the 2012 season because he played minor league baseball for the Pittsburgh Pirates organization, reports patriots.com.
Furthermore, since Gaffney originally signed with the Panthers, New England simply has to pay his base salary and gets out of paying his $96,600 signing bonus.
In order to make room for Gaffney on the roster, the Patriots released linebacker Josh Hull. The 27-years-old, who signed with New England in April, has played four seasons in the NFL (three with the Saint Louis Rams and one with the Washington Redskins).
Adding a player who was released by another team due to injury is not uncommon for the Patriots. In 2012, the team picked up tight end Jake Ballard from the New York Giants, who was injured at the time, according to NBC Sports.