Patriots release Boyce, Vellano, three others

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FOXBORO -- The Patriots released five players on Monday to get a little closer to the 75-player roster limit that will be required of all teams by Tuesday at 4 p.m.

Most notably, the team let go of third-year receiver Josh Boyce, who was a fourth-round pick in 2013 out of Texas Christian University. New England also released receiver Jonathan Krause, defensive lineman Joe Vellano, linebacker Dekoda Watson and undrafted rookie tight end Jimmay Mundine. 

The 5-foot-11 Boyce played in nine games and made three starts as a rookie in 2013, catching nine passes for 121 yards. He also returned nine kicks for 214 yards that season. In his second season, Boyce was released at the end of training camp and was eventually signed to the practice squad, spending most of the year there. He joined the 53-man roster on Dec. 27 and played in the regular-season finale against Buffalo but did not see any time in the postseason.

Vellano was an undrafted rookie in 2013 who played in all 16 regular-season games for the team and made eight starts after veteran defensive linemen Vince Wilfork and Tommy Kelly went down with season-ending injuries. Vellano spent much of the 2014 season on the practice squad but played in five regular-season games and saw time against the Colts in the AFC Championship Game. 

Both Boyce and Krause were waived with an injury designation, meaning that if they clear waivers, they will land on the Patriots injured reserve list. The team will then have five days to come to an injury settlement with those players, which would make them free agents. If no settlement is reached, they will remain on season-ending injured reserve. 

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