Patriots make four transactions, including signing running back Robert Martin and linebacker Scooby Wright

Sundays are the busiest day on the NFL calendar between September and early February, and it looks like late August is no exception either — at least for the New England Patriots: the club did not only remove wide receiver Josh Gordon from its non-football injury list today, it also parted ways with wide receiver Maurice Harris. The moves are just two of six total transactions made by the club today, however.

Let’s take a look at the other four now.

Patriots sign running back Robert Martin

New England has one of the deepest running back groups in all of football, but the team still added another body today: second-year man Robert Martin, who started his career with the New York Giants, will spend the next few days with the club before his likely release during cutdown day again. Why sign him then? The team will rest its starters and other roster locks in the preseason finale, and Martin — who rushed for 2,274 yards and 18 touchdowns at Rutgers — will therefore be asked to help take over.

Patriots place linebacker/special teamer Brandon King on injured reserve

Seeing New England move Brandon King to injured reserve was expected to happen. After all, the core special teamer reportedly suffered a torn quadriceps during the preseason game against the Carolina Panthers earlier this week. The injury was believed to be season-ending, and today’s move confirms this: King will not be eligible to be activated again at a later point during the season. The 26-year-old, who signed a two-year contract extension with the Patriots during the offseason, was a lock to make the team as one of its best kickoff/punt coverage players.

Patriots sign linebacker Scooby Wright

Scooby Wright appears to have slightly better chances at making the Patriots’ roster than fellow free agency addition Martin. With King now on injured reserve, after all, the team is in need of more special teams depth — something Wright could provide considering that he saw most of his NFL action in the kicking game. That being said, his last in-game action came during the 2017 season when he played ten of his thirteen career games in the pros. Since then, the former Arizona Cardinal has spent time in the AAF and on the open market. Now, the 24-year-old has a new home even if potentially just for a few days.

Patriots release defensive edge Keionta Davis

While the injury statuses of Shilique Calhoun and Derek Rivers remain unclear at this point in time, the Patriots have parted ways with another defensive edge: the team has released Keionta Davis today. Serving mostly as a rotational depth option, the second-year defensive edge appeared in just six of the Patriots’ nineteen games in 2018 — this in combination with his up-and-down performances put him on the roster bubble entering the new season. Apparently, the 25-year-old failed to show enough for the team to keep him around.