The Patriots announced some personnel adjustments to their league-worst defense on Wednesday. Most notably, safety Josh Barrett, who started four games in 2011, has been placed on the injured reserve with a calf injury.
More news and notes after the jump.
New England has signed linebacker Niko Koutouvides and added practice squad defensive back Sterling Moore to the 53-man roster as well.
Here's some background on those two players via WEEI.com:
Koutouvides, 30, was signed by the Patriots on Aug. 14, 2011 and released on Sept. 3, 2011. He is a veteran of seven NFL seasons with the Seattle Seahawks (2004-07), Denver Broncos (2008) and Tampa Bay Buccaneers (2010). Koutouvides, 6-2, 238 pounds, originally entered the NFL as a fourth round draft pick (116th overall) of Seattle in 2004 out of Purdue. Koutouvides has played in 103 games with two starts and registered 101 special teams tackles and 54 total tackles on defense. He has also played in eight postseason games, including Super Bowl XL while with Seattle.
Moore, 21, is in his second stint on the Patriots 53-man roster. He was signed from the practice squad to the 53-man roster on Oct. 15 and played in the win against Dallas. Moore, 5-10, 205 pounds, originally was signed by the Oakland Raiders as a rookie free agent out of Southern Methodist on July 28, 2011. He was released by the Raiders after training camp and spent the first few weeks on the Oakland practice squad before being released on Sept. 26, 2011. Moore was signed to the Patriots' practice squad on Oct. 5.
The Patriots are currently allowing more yards per game than any team in the NFL and are surrendering 23 points per game.
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