Patriots reportedly host defensive backs Eric Burrell, Rodney Clemons for workouts

The New England Patriots worked out defensive backs Eric Burrell and Rodney Clemons on Friday, according to Mike Reiss of ESPN.

Burrell, 23, signed with the New Orleans Saints as an undrafted free agent in May and was waived at the NFL roster deadline. He played 45 snaps on defense and six snaps on special teams during his rookie preseason. The 6-foot, 197-pound Wisconsin product finished his Badgers career having appeared in 48 games with 26 starts at safety. Burrell recorded 126 tackles, two sacks, five interceptions and four forced fumbles over that span.

Clemons, 24, entered the league as a rookie free agent with the Kansas City Chiefs in 2020. Out of Southern Methodist, where he finished as the program’s all-time leader in total games played, Burrell started 50 of his 54. He totaled 275 tackles, two sacks, seven interceptions, three forced fumbles and a pair of blocked kicks as a Mustang. Clemons would spend his rookie year on Kansas City’s practice squad and signed a futures contract in January. He was waived on Tuesday.

New England’s initial 16-man practice squad stands at 15.

That tally includes Myles Bryant and D’Angelo Ross in the secondary as the calendar turns to September.