Patriots sign WR Kenny Britt, Cannon to IR

New-England-Patriots-wide-receiver-Kenny-Britt-warms-up-during-an-NFL-football-practice,-Wednesday,-Dec.-13,-2017,-in-Foxborough,-Mass.-(Steven-Senne/AP)

New England Patriots wide receiver Kenny Britt warms up during an NFL football practice, Wednesday, Dec. 13, 2017, in Foxborough, Mass. (Steven Senne/AP)

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. — The New England Patriots have signed veteran receiver Kenny Britt.

A 2009 first-round pick out of Rutgers, Britt was released by Cleveland last week after failing to deliver in his first season after signing a four-year, $32.5 million contract in March. He appeared in nine games with four starts for the Browns, catching 18 passes for 233 yards and two touchdowns.

But he was plagued by dropped passes and penalties. He was also sent back to Cleveland along with fellow wide receiver Corey Coleman in October for missing curfew while the team was in Houston to play the Texans.

The Patriots also re-signed defensive lineman Ricky Jean Francois. Linebacker Jonathan Freeny and receiver Bernard Reedy were released to make room on the roster. Tackle Marcus Cannon was placed on injured reserve.

[relatedlinks]

When submitting content, please abide by our submission guidelines, and avoid posting profanity, personal attacks or harassment. Should you violate our submissions guidelines, we reserve the right to remove your comments and block your account. Sportsnet reserves the right to close a story’s comment section at any time.