Patriots Release TE D.J. Williams, DT Marcus Forston

The New England Patriots have announced the release of tight end D.J. Williams and defensive tackle Marcus Forston. The Patriots roster now stands at 87 players, three shy of the maximum limit.

Williams was a 4th year player out of the University of Arkansas who saw some time on the team at the end of the 2013 season. The former Mackey Award winner as the best tight end in college never lived up the expectations of his athleticism. The Patriots were hoping he could take on a role as a movable chess piece on offense, but he was unable to make an impact due to constant injuries.

The release of Williams could be related to how positive of an impact the team believes fullback James Develin can have on the offense. Develin can flex out into a tight end role and the Patriots are trying to get him involved. As Williams wouldn't separate from Develin with regards to ability, the Patriots saw it fit to move forward without Williams.

The move could also relate to a possible addition at the tight end position, or the recovery of Gronk, as the team is now left with little receiving talent on the roster.

Forston is 3rd year player out of the University of Miami who saw time on-and-off the Patriots roster. His chances of making the team plummeted once he was unable to crack the roster after all of last season's injuries, and became even smaller once the team traded for Jerel Worthy and Ben Bass. He was the former #1 ranked DT in the country coming out of high school, but injuries in college derailed his growth.