Patriots Sign Offensive Tackle Brennan Williams to the Practice Squad

NESN's Doug Kyed reports that the New England Patriots have signed offensive tackle Brennan Williams to the practice squad. The Patriots had two openings with the recent promotions of defensive back Brandon King and offensive tackle Cameron Fleming to the active squad.

Williams was a 3rd round draft pick by the Houston Texans in 2013 but underwent microfracture surgery in his knee and was subsequently released after the 2013 season. Williams spent 2014 out of football and was a part of the Jaguars offseason program this year.

The Patriots gave Williams a 7.0 grade in the NFL draft, compared to a 5.5 grade they gave safety Duron Harmon. Generally, players with 7.0 grades are considered second round prospects, which means the Patriots viewed him highly.

New England needed another body at tackle for the week in case Marcus Cannon is unavailable with his toe injury. Williams' father, Brent, spent 11 seasons in the NFL as a defensive tackle from 1986-1996, mostly with the New England Patriots.