Patriots sign kicker Nick Folk, release tight end Eric Tomlinson and practice squad tackle Aaron Monteiro

While the New England Patriots did not make a move at the NFL’s trade deadline — the team already made two last week when it acquired wide receiver Mohamed Sanu and moved on from defensive lineman Michael Bennett — they were quite busy on Tuesday. First, the club released kicker Mike Nugent after four games with the team to free up a spot on its 53-man roster. Then, the Patriots went on to make three more moves.

Let’s take a look at them:

K Nick Folk signed to 53-man roster

Nick Folk originally entered the NFL as a sixth-round draft pick by the Dallas Cowboys in 2007 and was named to the Pro Bowl in his first year. However, he failed to build on the success he had early on in his pro career and was released midway through his third season after making just 64.3% of his field goal attempts (18 of 28) that year. Folk went on to join the New York Jets in 2010, with whom he spent the next seven seasons.

In 2017, he signed with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers but had another disappointing year — he made just six of 11 field goals (54.5%) and seven of nine extra points — that ultimately ended on injured reserve. The now-34-year-old spent the entire 2018 season out of football before signing with the short-lived AAF. Earlier this year, he was one of seven kickers the Patriots brought in for tryouts after Stephen Gostkowski was placed on injured reserve.

TE Eric Tomlinson released off 53-man roster

Tomlinson was originally signed by the Patriots on October 15, when the team was forced to add depth with both Ryan Izzo and Matt LaCosse dealing with injuries. The 27-year-old was subsequently made active for New England’s game against the New York Jets as a tight end/fullback hybrid, but released two days later to make room on the roster for Mohamed Sanu — or so everyone initially thought.

Tomlinson ultimately remained on the roster, however, as Josh Gordon was moved to injured reserve instead. He went on to appear in the Patriots’ next game as well, but apparently did not do enough to be kept on the active roster with first-round rookie N’Keal Harry scheduled to return from injured reserve soon.

OT Aaron Monteiro released off practice squad

Aaron Monteiro originally was signed to the Patriots’ practice squad last week after a free agency workout. The undrafted rookie, who spent his collegiate career at Boston College, originally entered the NFL as a free agency signing by the Miami Dolphins but was released during roster cutdowns in late August. The 22-year-old remained on the open market until New England scooped him up — at least for one week.

As a result of today’s moves, the Patriots now have one open spot on their 53-man roster — one that is expected to be filled by the aforementioned N’Keal Harry — as well as two open slots on their 10-man practice squad.