Patriots release defensive end Mike Purcell

FOXBOROUGH, Massachusetts. – The New England Patriots announced today that they have released DT Mike Purcell. Purcell was signed by New England on August 1, 2024.

Purcell33, originally joined San Francisco in 2013 as a rookie free agent out of Wyoming. The 6-foot-3, 300-pound player was twice on New England's practice squad in 2017. Purcell spent the past five seasons with the Denver Broncos (2019-23). ​​Last season, he played in 16 games with 10 starts and finished the season with 25 total tackles for the Broncos. Overall, he has played in 90 games with 45 starts and has totaled 208 tackles, 3½ sacks, 4 passes defensed, 1 forced fumble and 3 fumble recoveries.

Purcell spent the majority of his first two seasons on San Francisco's practice squad before joining the 49ers' 53-man roster on December 19, 2014. Purcell played 25 games, including eight starts, for the 49ers, totaling 48 tackles, one sack, and one forced fumble before being released on May 2, 2017. After being released by San Francisco, he was claimed off waivers and assigned to the Los Angeles Rams, but was released before the start of the regular season. He then played on the practice squads of the Chicago Bears, Carolina Panthers, Patriots, and Kansas City Chiefs. Purcell went through training camp with Kansas City in 2018 before signing with Denver in 2019.