Patriots put Donte Stallworth on IR, release Visanthe Shiancoe, Deion Branch return imminent?
Stallworth suffered a high ankle sprain during his TD catch, according to a source.
— Jeff Howe (@jeffphowe) December 12, 2012
Patriots place Donte' Stallworth on IR, release Shiancoe, and release Tommie Draheim from practice squad.
— Nick Underhill (@Nick_Underhill) December 12, 2012
Per a source, Deion Branch will sign with the Patriots, following Stallworth going to IR.
— Albert Breer (@AlbertBreer) December 11, 2012
Well, Donte Stallworth's tenure with the Patriots sure was short lived. He was brought onto the team just last week with Julian Edelman hitting IR. After hauling in a 60+ yard touchdown pass against the Texans, the hope was maybe Stallworth could contribute to this team as the third wide receiver and a deep threat.
However, it was a bittersweet catch as apparently that's when Stallworth was injured. You didn't hear much about this after the game which is kind of curious.
The Shiancoe release is not that surprising. Even with the opportunity to contribute once Gronkowski went down he barely saw the field. The Patriots essentially wasted that temporary IR spot on Shiancoe, as it's likely Jeff Demps could've been put on that list and he'd be returning kicks for the Patriots right now.
The beat reporters are all clamoring that Deion Branch's locker has been left in tact since he was last released. It's likely he's going to get the call as he's apparently healthy and ready to contribute. According to Albert Breer, he will.
