Patriots Add Former Second-Round DB to Practice Squad

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. – As the New England Patriots prepare for their matchup with the Tennessee Titans at Nissan Stadium in Nashville this weekend, they have added some much-needed depth to their defensive backfield.

The Pats officially announced he signing of veteran safety Richie Grant to their practice squad. The 27-year-old was present as a full participant for the team’s first Week 7 practice at Gillette Stadium.

Grant is a veteran of four NFL seasons with the Atlanta Falcons, after entering the NFL as a second-round draft pick (40 overall) in the 2021 NFL Draft out of the University of Central Florida.

After playing a reserve role in his rookie season, Grant was named the Falcons’ starting strong safety in 2022. He started all 17 games while finishing second on the team with 123 tackles, seven passes-defensed, two interceptions and a forced fumble. He maintained his starting role in 2023, starting 15 of 17 games, finishing fourth on the team with 103 tackles, three sacks, six passes defensed, two forced fumbles, and an interception. He was relegated to a backup role in 2024 after losing the starting job to veteran Justin Simmons, playing primarily on special teams and rarely on defense.

Grant was signed by the San Francisco 49ers as an unrestricted free agent this past offseason but was released prior to the start of the season. Throughout his four seasons in the NFL, the 6’0” 200-pound defensive back has played in 67 games with 33 starts and has accumulated 264 total tackles, three sacks, three interceptions, 17 passes-defensed and 11 special teams tackles.

Oct 1, 2023; London, United Kingdom; Atlanta Falcons safety Richie Grant (27) against the Jacksonville Jaguars in the first half during an NFL International Series game at Wembley Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Though he is the only true safety on New England’s practice squad, he joins rookie Craig Woodson, and veterans Jaylinn Hawkins, Kyle Dugger, Dell Pettus and Brenden Schooler on their active roster depth chart.

Grant’s signing marks the second recent addition New England has made to its scout team. Earlier this week, the Pats signed rookie tight end Marshall Lang to its practice squad. Lang originally signed with the Seattle Seahawks as a rookie free agent out of Northwestern in May. The 6’4” 252-pounder, was released by Seattle on Aug. 26, during final roster cuts. Throughout his college career at Northwestern, the 23-year-old played in 47 games and finished with 48 receptions for 491 yards and four touchdowns.

With both Lang and Grant officially in the fold, New England no longer has any vacant spots available on its practice squad. They still have one remaining slot open on their 53-man active roster.

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