The New England Patriots signed veteran guard Earl Watford to the practice squad on Tuesday, according to the NFL transaction wire.
Watford, 30, originally entered the league with the Arizona Cardinals in the fourth round of the 2013 draft. The 6-foot-3, 300-pound James Madison product has appeared in 71 games and made 25 starts since then. He has also been a member of the Jacksonville Jaguars, Chicago Bears, Cleveland Browns and Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
While with Tampa Bay last regular season, Watford checked into 15 contests and started four at right guard. The two-time first-team All-CAA selection saw 328 snaps on offense and 83 on special teams in the process.
To open a spot for Watford, New England released rookie defensive back Dayan Lake from the scout team.
Lake, 23, had signed to the group of 16 last week. The 5-foot-11, 200-pound undrafted free agent out of Brigham Young spent training camp with the Los Angeles Rams and had a stint this fall in The Spring League. Lake, formerly Ghanwoloku, started 43 games during his collegiate career.
The Patriots visit the Miami Dolphins for a 1 p.m. ET kickoff Sunday at Hard Rock Stadium.