DENVER (CBS4/The Sports Xchange) – The New England Patriots, a team decimated at running back due to injuries, signed former Denver Broncos running back Montee Ball to their practice squad on Tuesday.
Ball, who was a standout at Wisconsin, was drafted by the Broncos one pick ahead of the Patriots in 2013. Injuries plagued his time with the Broncos and he never really got a chance to prove he could be a number one running back. The Broncos released him this offseason.
The Patriots will also work out veteran free agent running back Steven Jackson, according to multiple reports Wednesday.
Jackson, 32, has gone without work this season after spending the past two years with the Atlanta Falcons.
The latest casualty for the Patriots was running back LeGarrette Blount, who suffered a hip injury on Sunday night against the Houston Texans that will sideline him for the rest of the season. Blount, the team’s leading rusher with 703 yards and six touchdowns, was hurt during the second quarter of the Patriots’ 27-6 win.
With Blount expected to be placed on season-ending injured reserve, the Patriots have just two running backs on the active roster — Brandon Bolden and James White.
The 6-foot-2, 240-pound Jackson played for Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels when McDaniels held the same role with the St. Louis Rams in 2011.
Jackson had eight straight 1,000-yard rushing seasons with the Rams from 2005-12. He rushed for 707 yards for the Falcons last season.
