Patriots re-sign veteran offensive lineman James Ferentz to practice squad

The New England Patriots officially re-signed veteran offensive lineman James Ferentz to the practice squad on Wednesday.

Ferentz had cleared waivers after being the precursor to quarterback Jarrett Stidham’s activation from physically unable to perform. His intent to remain with New England on the scout team was first reported Tuesday evening by ESPN’s Mike Reiss.

The 32-year-old twice served as a standard elevation and once served as a Covid-19 replacement this season before signing to the 53-man roster on Oct. 27. He started two games at left guard and rotated in for one game at right guard over that span, logging a total of 134 offensive snaps.

Ferentz logged previous stops with the Houston Texans and Denver Broncos after going undrafted out of Iowa in 2014. The two-time Super Bowl champion has appeared in 27 contests for New England since arriving in 2017, making his initial NFL start two falls ago against the Cleveland Browns, who revisit Gillette Stadium for a 1 p.m. ET kickoff on Sunday.

The Patriots stood with three openings on the practice squad following the recent departures of fullback Ben Mason, center Drake Jackson and cornerback Brian Poole.