The New England Patriots made some moves in hopes of strengthening their receiving corps.
They announced on Wednesday they re-signed wide receiver Brian Tyms and have signed wide receivers Kevin Dorsey and Brandon Gibson. The Patriots also agreed to a two-year, $11 million deal with outside linebacker-defensive end Jabaal Sheard that includes $5.5 million in guaranteed money, according to ProFootballTalk.com.
Terms of the deals for Tyms, Dorsey and Gibson were not announced, but Gibson reportedly agreed to a one-year deal worth about $825,000.
Gibson, 27, has made 233 receptions during a six-year career that has included a four-year stop in St. Louis as well as two years in Miami.
His best season was in 2012 when he recorded 51 receptions for 691 yards and five touchdowns.
Tyms joined the Patriots as a free agent on July 27, 2014. Last season, he played in 11 games with two starts and finished with five receptions for 82 yards and one touchdown.
Tyms, 26, played in the AFC Divisional playoff game against Baltimore but was inactive for the AFC Championship game and Super Bowl XLIX.
Tyms is entering his third NFL season. The 6-foot-3, 204-pounder, was originally signed by the San Francisco 49ers as a rookie free agent out of Florida A&M in 2012 and spent that season on the 49ers’ practice squad. He started the 2013 season on Miami’s practice squad before being signed by the Cleveland Browns midseason. Tyms played in seven games for the Browns in 2013 and caught two passes for 12 yards.
Dorsey, 25, spent his entire rookie season on injured reserve in 2013 due to an injury sustained in the preseason.
He spent the first five weeks of the 2014 season on the Green Bay Packers’ practice squad before being signed to Green Bay’s 53-man roster. He played in three games and had one reception for 4 yards.
Sheard accumulated 23 sacks in four seasons with the Cleveland Browns. He had 44 tackles and two sacks last year.