Mruczkowski, Hawkins added to roster

From Patriots.com

The New England Patriots signed free agent cornerback Artrell Hawkins and free agent offensive lineman (backup center) Gene Mruczkowski on Tuesday. Terms of the agreements were not disclosed.

Hawkins, 28, is in his eighth NFL season and has played in 103 career games with 76 starts for the Cincinnati Bengals (1998-2003) and Carolina Panthers (2004). The 5-foot-10-inch, 190-pound cornerback has recorded 404 career tackles (361 solo), three sacks, 10 interceptions for 166 yards and a touchdown, 67 passes defensed, 11 forced fumbles and six fumble recoveries. He tied for the longest interception return in Bengals history when he returned an interception 102 yards for a touchdown against the Houston Texans in 2002, a season in which he led the Cincinnati secondary with 92 tackles. The University of Cincinnati product was originally drafted by the Bengals in the second round (43rd overall) of the 1998 NFL Draft, and tied for the Bengals team lead with three interceptions in 1998 and 2001. In 2004, Hawkins served as Carolina’s nickel back after signing with the Panthers in the offseason. He was signed by the Washington Redskins as an unrestricted free agent prior to the 2005 season and was released by Washington on Aug. 27, 2005.

Mruczkowski, 25, is joining New England’s active roster for the second time this season and was originally signed by the Patriots as an undrafted free agent on May 16, 2003. The 6-foot-2-inch, 305-pound offensive lineman has played in 10 career games, all with the Patriots in 2004. The Purdue product spent the entire 2004 season on the active roster and served as the backup center and played on special teams protection units for most of the year. He was released by the Patriots on Sept. 3, 2005 and was re-signed on Sept. 28. Mruczkowski was on the roster for the Patriots’ game against San Diego on Oct. 2, 2005 but was listed as a day-of-game inactive and was released again on Oct. 8. Mruczkowski did not play as a rookie for the Patriots in 2003, beginning the season on the reserve/PUP list and ending the year on injured reserve.

Commentary

Regarding Hawkins:
I don't know if we're quite scraping the bottom of the barrel, but the level is certainly getting shallow. Hawkins had a couple good years, but he's bounced around a bit lately, and that may be a sign that he's lost a step. On the other hand, he's been dumped by teams with pretty solid defenses, so maybe he's better than many people realize. We'll hope for the best and find out in a week or two.

Regarding Mruczkowski:
This is not a surprising move at all. Mruczkowski probably would have made the 53-man roster in the beginning of the season if he were more versatile along the offensive line. Given his recent history, and with Koppen out for the season, he's the absolute logical choice. Keep in mind, though, he is not Dan Koppen. Tom Brady has progressively been returning to 2001 form -- two and three step drops and quick throws. This will increasingly become a necessity with the degradations along the offensive line.