Patriots waive interior lineman Najee Toran as a pair of signings become official

The roster movement continued on Tuesday for the New England Patriots’ offensive line.

The Patriots waived guard Najee Toran, according to the NFL transaction wire, after adding free agents James Ferentz and Alex Redmond to the interior depth chart as the week began.

Toran had been among eight Patriots to opt out of last season due to Covid-19 concerns.

The 25-year-old originally entered the league with the San Francisco 49ers as an undrafted free agent out of UCLA in 2018. And in the fall of 2019, Toran joined New England’s practice squad. The 6-foot-2, 305-pound blocker remained on the scout team through the end of that campaign. Toran then reached a futures contract as the calendar turned to 2020 that subsequently tolled.

Additionally on Tuesday, the Patriots made the signings of veteran quarterback Brian Hoyer and rookie safety Joshuah Bledsoe official. Both deals had been previously reported.

News of Hoyer’s return for a fourth stint with New England surfaced Monday evening. And Bledsoe, a Missouri product who arrived in the sixth round of the 2021 NFL draft at No. 188 overall, agreed to terms on his pact last Thursday.

The roster currently stands at 87 for the Patriots when accounting for safety Patrick Chung’s unprocessed retirement and fullback Jakob Johnson’s exemption as part of the NFL International Player Pathway Program.

Organized team activities begin in Foxborough next week.