Patriots announced the signing of veteran tight end Bo Scaife on Thursday morning. The 31-year-old Scaife, who worked out for the team last week, played for the Titans from 2005-2010. He signed with the Bengals in 2011, but was placed on season-ending injured reserve with a neck injury during the preseason and didn’t play at all last year.
Scaife caught 36 passes for 318 yards and four touchdowns in 2010 but his most productive year came in 2008, when he caught 58 passes for 561 yards and two touchdowns. He is an agile and quick tight end comparable to Aaron Hernandez.
The signing of Scaife is due mainly to a depleted tight end corps, as Rob Gronkowski (left ankle) and Daniel Fells (unknown) remain out of practice. Scaife will compete with Fells for the Patriots’ No. 3 tight end spot, according to NFL.com.
The Patriots also announced the release of second-year defensive end Markell Carter, rookie tight end Nick Melillo and rookie offensive lineman Jon Opperud on Thursday. The team now has two open spots on their 90-man roster.
