Patriots re-sign 2019 undrafted free agent Malik Gant

Former Marshall safety Malik Gant spent his rookie season on injured reserve.

The New England Patriots added safety Malik Gant to the 90-man roster on Tuesday, as reported by Mike Reiss of ESPN.

The signing marks a return for Gant, who originally arrived as an undrafted free agent out of Marshall in 2019 and visited Gillette Stadium for a workout last weekend.

The 24-year-old Gant spent his rookie NFL campaign on injured reserve after sustaining a leg injury during New England’s preseason finale versus the New York Giants. He had played 95 snaps on defense and 41 snaps on special teams through four exhibitions that summer.

Gant would later be waived by the Patriots prior to the start of training camp in 2020 and recently participated in The Spring League.

While at Marshall, Gant appeared in 37 games as a former walk-on who earned a scholarship as a redshirt sophomore. He concluded his Thundering Herd tenure having totaled 201 tackles, two interceptions and 13 passes defensed.

Gant was spotted wearing No. 19 at New England’s in-stadium practice on Tuesday.

In a corresponding move, the Patriots announced the release of running back Tyler Gaffney.

Gaffney earned two Super Bowl rings while a member of the organization from 2014 into 2017, and had re-signed in May. The 30-year-old Stanford product finished last season on the San Francisco 49ers’ practice squad after spending time as an outfielder in the Pittsburgh Pirates organization.

New England hosts the Washington Football Team for a 7:30 p.m. ET preseason kickoff Thursday.