On Wednesday, the Patriots placed rookie offensive lineman Marcus Cannon on the reserve/non-football injury list (NFI). Placing him on the reserve/NFI list will keep the lineman out of action through at least the first six weeks of the season.
Cannon was selected out of Texas Christian University by the Pats in the fifth-round last April and was treaded for non-Hodgkin's lymphoma over the summer. He has yet to practice or play with the team. The 23-year old began training camp on the active/non-football injury list.
For those of you who are not familiar with the reserve/NFI list, here is what will happen at the beginning of Week 7.
The Patriots will have a three-week window in which Cannon will be able to begin practicing. Once he returns to practice, the team will have another three weeks to add Cannon to their 53-man active roster. If he cannot participate this season, he will be placed on IR and will be out the remainder of the season; A move I would not expect to happen at this point.
This transaction moves Cannon off the 80-man roster, which clears a spot for cornerback Antwaun Molden. Molden was claimed off waivers on Wednesday.
Molden was waived by the Houston Texans on Tuesday when the club was cutting down their roster. The 26-year-old entered the NFL in 2008 and was drafted by the Texans in the third-round out of Eastern Kentucky. Even though he has appeared in 32 games, he has not started over the past three seasons.
Molden is a good size, 6-1 200, and runs a 4.39 40-yard dash. It seems as if he has the physical tools but cannot apply them to the field. In any case, Bill Belichick and the Patriots coaching staff saw something that interests them. Maybe a system change and a fresh start is what he needs. For that, only time will tell.
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