The Patriots got a bit thinner on their defensive front Friday.
The team announced that it released a pair of defensive tackles in Chris Jones and Ishmaa'ily Kitchen just two days after the team released interior defensive lineman Dominique Easley.
Jones spent three seasons with the Patriots but was on the physically unable to perform list for the entire 2015 season. Drafted by the Texans the sixth round of the 2013 draft, Jones was picked up by the Patriots after he had a brief stint with the Buccaneers.
In two seasons of on-the-field action with the Patriots, Jones played in 28 games, starting in 23. He recorded 83 tackles and nine sacks in that span.
Jones was scheduled to see a significant bump in pay in 2016. In 2015, his base salary was worth $585,000. This season, he was scheduled to make $1.67 million in base salary.
Kitchen first arrived to the Patriots in December when he was signed as a free agent. He played in the 2015 season finale but was inactive for both postseason games.
The Patriots may be in the market for a defensive tackle in this year's draft class after thinning their depth chart at that position this week. The list of Patriots at that spot currently includes Malcom Brown, Alan Branch, Terrance Knighton, Markus Kuhn and Joe Vellano. Frank Kearse, who is listed as a defensive end, may also figure into the mix as one of the team's interior defensive linemen.