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Ben Hartsock released by New England Patriots

Published: Aug 14, 2014 at 03:52 AM

Marc Sessler

Ben Hartsock's maiden voyage to New England was short one.

The Patriots on Thursday announced the release of the 34-year-old tight end they signed just four days ago.

The move comes one day after New England waived tight end Terrence Miller, leaving the Patriots with a depth chart that now includes Rob Gronkowski, Michael Hoomanawanui, D.J. Williams and Steve Maneri.

Hartsock recently made waves on the Around the League Podcast during a discussion with Pete Damilatis of Pro Football Focus. We adore PFF, but questioned their ranking of Hartsock as the league's finest tight end based almost solely on his skill as a blocker. The 11th-year pro didn't catch a pass last season.

We wouldn't be surprised to see more action at the tight end position as New England continues to fiddle with the lineup behind Gronk.

*The latest "Around the League Podcast" broke down the biggest position battles and ranked the best backup QBs in the league. *

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