Patriots waive RB Ty Montgomery, sign LB Christian Elliss

Patriots

Montgomery’s failed block attempt led to a punt block for the Pittsburgh Steelers on Thursday night.

Ty Montgomery was waived to make room for Christian Ellis, who the Patriots claimed off waivers this week. (AP Photo/Greg M. Cooper)

The Patriots made multiple roster transactions on Friday, most notably releasing veteran Ty Montgomery II and adding linebacker Christian Ellis to the 53-man roster.

Montgomery’s tenure in New England was riddled with injuries, and he wound up spending a lot of time on special teams. But, after whiffing on a block that allowed the Pittsburgh Steelers to block a punt on Thursday night, Montgomery was released a day later.

New England has a clear 1-2 punch at the running back position with Ezekiel Elliott and Rhamondre Stevenson, which severely limited Montgomery’s offensive snaps.

A roster move was necessary for the Patriots to make room for Elliss, and Montgomery could re-sign to New England’s practice squad if he clears waivers. That process played out similarly for both Bailey Zappe and Malik Cunningham.

Elliss is a 24-year-old who spent the majority of his career with the Philadelphia Eagles. He’s a linebacker with only one career start, but has played in 12 games this season, accumulating 16 tackles. He drew a decent amount of interest among teams around the NFL.

The Eagles reportedly hoped Elliss would clear waivers so they could re-sign him, but that was far from the case. Five other teams put in a claim for the young defender outside of New England.

The Patriots also reportedly made a minor practice squad change, according to ESPN’s Mike Reiss. Kicker Matthew Wright was released from the practice squad. So, for now, it seems New England will stick with rookie Chad Ryland to handle kicking duties this season.