Pats Release Matt Mulligan

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. – The New England Patriots announced that they have released OL Braxston Cave and TE Matthew Mulligan.Cave, 24, was claimed off waivers by the Patriots from Cleveland on Sept. 1. The 6-foot-3, 305-pounder was originally signed by Cleveland as a rookie free agent out of Notre Dame on April 30, 2013. He was released by Cleveland on Aug. 30, 2013. Cave played in 48 games for Notre Dame, including 35 starts at center. He also served as the team’s long snapper.Mulligan, 28, was signed by the Patriots on Sept. 3, 2013. The 6-foot-4, 267-pounder is a veteran of four NFL seasons with the New York Jets (2009-11) and the St. Louis Rams (2012). He went to training camp this past summer with Green Bay after signing with the Packers in April but was released on Aug. 31. Mulligan has played in 50 NFL games with 20 starts and has 14 receptions for 144 yards and one touchdown.Mulligan originally entered the NFL with Miami in 2008 as a rookie free agent out of Maine. He spent his first NFL season on the practice squads of Miami and Tennessee and then was claimed off waivers in 2009 by the New York Jets after being released by Tennessee during training camp. After spending the first nine weeks of the 2009 season on the Jets’ practice squad, he earned a position on the 53-man roster. Following three seasons with the Jets, Mulligan was signed by St. Louis as an unrestricted free agent. He was released by St. Louis on March 22, 2013, and signed by Green Bay on April 9, 2013. Last season with the Rams, Mulligan played in 16 games with nine starts and caught eight passes for 84 yards and one touchdown.