Leverett did not play a single snap against the Texans on Sunday.
On Sunday, Nick Leverett lost his job as the New England Patriots’ starting center. On Monday, he lost his spot on the roster.
After Leverett spent the entirety of the Patriots’ game against the Houston Texans on the bench, the team has decided to release the veteran offensive lineman after. Adam Schefter of ESPN was first to report the transaction.
Leverett, 27, joined the Patriots as a free agent in March. The former Tampa Bay Buccaneers UDFA, who started 10 games over his first four years in the NFL, signed a one-year, $1.775 million contract to come to New England.
The expectation at the time was that he would compete for a backup spot along the team’s interior offensive line, and he indeed ended up making the initial 53-man squad in that capacity. Under normal circumstances, Leverett would not have seen much if any playing time. However, circumstances are anything but normal in the New England offensive line room this season so far.
After David Andrews was lost to a season-ending shoulder injury in Week 4, Leverett was elevated to the starting center spot. He started one game — New England’s Week 5 loss to the Miami Dolphins — but struggled in pass protection.
After that game, the Patriots signed Ben Brown off the Las Vegas Raiders’ practice squad. With Leverett nursing an ankle injury as well, Brown got the start versus the Texans and performed admirably. Less than 24 hours later, the team officially handed him the starting center position.