The New England Patriotsannounced Saturday that they had signed cornerback Tony Carter off their practice squad and released defensive back Chevis Jackson.
The addition of Carter could be linked to the playing status of starting rookie cornerback Devin McCourty, who is listed as questionable for Sunday's game against the Green Bay Packers because of a rib injury.
McCourty sustained the injury during last Sunday's victory over the Chicago Bears. He was replaced by Darius Butler, putting New England in the hunt for a game-ready defensive back.
The 5-foot-9, 175-pound Carter joined the Patriots' practice squad in September after being waived by the Denver Broncos in August.
The Broncos signed Carter as a rookie free agent out of Florida State in 2009. He spent the first 14 weeks of last season on Denver's practice squad before going on the active roster for the final three games. Carter played in two games as a rookie, with one start, and finished with one solo tackle and fumble recovery.
Jackson was signed by the Patriots on Dec. 10 as a free agent. The 5-foot-11, 193-pound defensive back originally was selected in the third round of the 2008 NFL Draft by the Atlanta Falcons out of LSU.
Jackson played in 31 games for the Falcons, starting three and compiling 51 tackles, one sack and one interception. He returned his first career interception 95 yards for a touchdown against the New Orleans Saints on Nov. 9, 2008. He also recorded an interception in an NFC wild-card playoff game against the Arizona Cardinals on Jan. 3, 2009.
Jackson was released by the Falcons in September and signed by the Jacksonville Jaguars one month later. He played in two games for the Jaguars before being released Nov. 17.
