The Patriots have signed 30-year old fullback Lousaka Polite.  Polite played in 16 games (10 starts) for the Dolphins last year and he carried the ball 26 times for 62 yards (2.4 ypc) with 1 TD run.  He also caught 12 passes for 61 yards (5.1 avg) last year.  Polite has now played in 75 games (27 starts) in his first seven years in the NFL and he has carried the ball 95 times for 296 yards (3.1 ypc) with 1 TD run.  He has also caught 41 passes for 233 yards (5.7 avg) with 1 TD grab in his NFL career.  Polite is a good lead blocker, so he will likely only be playing in short yardage situations for the Patriots.

The Patriots have signed 29-year old safety Vincent Fuller.  Fuller played in 1 game for the Lions earlier this year but he didn’t have any tackles.  Fuller has now played in 74 games in his first six years in the NFL and he has 163 tackles, 16 passes defensed, 6 interceptions (4 returned for a TD), 2 sacks, 2 forced fumbles, 1 fumble recovery and 7 tackles for a loss.  The Patriots need help at the back end of the D and Fuller has been a playmaker in the past, so he could be just what the doctor ordered.

UPDATE:  (12/23/2011) – The Patriots have waived Vincent Fuller.

The Patriots have signed 30-year old DE/OLB Eric Moore.  Moore played in 4 games for the Patriots last year and he had 14 tackles, 1 tackle for a loss, 2 sacks, 2 forced fumbles, 1 fumble recovery and 1 pass defensed.  Moore has now played in 33 games in his first five years in the NFL and he has 45 tackles, 2 tackles for a loss, 4 sacks, 2 forced fumbles, 1 fumble recovery and 1 pass defensed.  This was a good move for the Patriots as Moore already knows the defense.

UPDATE:  (12/20/2011) – The Patriots have waived Eric Moore.  He played in 2 games for the Patriots this year but he didn’t have any tackles.  This isn’t much of a loss for the Patriots.

The Patriots have signed 29-year old CB Nate Jones.  Jones played in 2 games for the Dolphins earlier this year and he had 1 tackle.  He has now played in 101 games in his first 8 years in the NFL and he has 213 tackles, 1 tackle for a loss, 6 sacks, 3 forced fumbles, 1 fumble recovery, 16 passes defensed and 3 interceptions.  This is going to wind up being a good move for the Patriots who need all the help they can get in the secondary as they are giving up 307.5 yards passing per game this year.

The Patriots have placed 26-year old safety Josh Barrett on the Injured Reserve List, ending his season due to a calf injury.  Barrett played in 5 games for the Patriots this year and he had 17 tackles and 1 tackle for a loss.  The Patriots will need Sergio Brown to step up the rest of the season.  He has played in 7 games for the Patriots so far this year and he has 22 tackles, 1 interception and 1 pass defensed.  The Patriots have brought back linebacker Niko Koutouvides, who was one of their last cuts before the 2011 season started.

The Patriots have signed 27-year old DT Marcus Harrison.  Harrison played in 5 games for the Bears in 2010 and he had 3 tackles and 1 pass defensed.  He has now played in 37 games in his first three years in the NFL and he has 55 tackles, 3 sacks, 3 passes defensed and 5 tackles for a loss.  This was a good signing for the Patriots as Harrison will replace Mike Wright (I.R.) on the roster.

UPDATE:  The Patriots have waived Marcus Harrison after he only spent one day on the roster.

The Patriots have signed 23-year old cornerback Phillip Adams.  Adams played in 15 games as a rookie for the 49ers last year and he had 13 tackles and 1 pass defensed.  The Patriots need help at cornerback and Adams should be able to give them more depth at the position, while also helping out on special teams.

The New England Patriots have signed 25-year old offensive guard Donald Thomas.  Thomas didn’t play at all last year for the Lions.  In his first three years in the NFL, Thomas has played in 17 games (13 starts).  This was a nice pickup for the Patriots as they needed more depth on the O-Line due to Dan Koppen’s injury.

The Patriots have signed 26-year old TE Dan Gronkowski.  Gronkowski’s brother (Rob) already plays for the Patriots.  Dan Gronkowski played in 12 games (4 starts) for the Broncos last year and he caught 8 passes for 65 yards (8.1 avg).  He has now played in 14 games (4 starts) in his first two years in the NFL and he has caught 9 passes for 69 yards (7.7 avg).  Dan Gronkowski will be used mostly on running plays for the Patriots.

The Patriots have signed 23-year old undrafted rookie long snapper Danny Aiken.  Aiken played in all four preseason games for the Bills, but they were already set at his position.  He will step right into the starting lineup for the Patriots, so he’s going to be under pressure from Day #1.