Patriots release offensive lineman Caleb Benenoch

On Monday, the four-game suspension of New England Patriots tight end Benjamin Watson officially came to an end. While the team received a roster exemption for the veteran, it will need to free up a spot on its 53-man roster ahead of Sunday’s game against the Washington Redskins. It looks like such a move happened today: as first reported by NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo, the Patriots waived offensive lineman Caleb Benenoch.

The 25-year-old originally entered the NFL as a fifth-round draft pick by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2016. After serving as a rotational backup option over his first two years in the league and starting a combined six games (one at guard, five at right tackle), he was elevated to a regular starting role in 2018: the 6-foot-5, 310-pound blocker became the Buccaneers’ top option at right guard and went on to play 843 of 1,115 offensive snaps.

New head coach Bruce Arians moved him again — this time to right tackle — but he failed to carve out a consistent role. While the 25-year-old did survive roster cutdowns, he was ultimately released in mid-September and remained on the open market until the Patriots picked him up two weeks ago following a workout. However, Benenoch did not appear even in a single game for his new team before his release.