Patriots bring back QB Kessler two weeks after release

Less than two weeks after he was released, Cody Kessler was brought back by the New England Patriots to give the team two backup quarterbacks behind Tom Brady, NFL Network's Ian Rapoport reported Monday. Kessler, who was released by the Jacksonville Jaguars in May and cut by the Philadelphia Eagles on Aug. 30, was first signed by the Patriots on Sept. 25. He was then released by New England on Oct. 15 during a flurry of roster moves that left Jarrett Stidham as the team's only backup quarterback.

Kessler, 26, has played in 17 NFL games with the Cleveland Browns and Jaguars, 12 of them starts. He has completed 224 of 349 passes in his NFL career with eight touchdowns, six of them in 2016 when he made nine appearances for the Browns. "Cody's done a nice job for us," Patriots head coach Bill Belichick said earlier in the month, according to WEEI Radio. "He's really smart. He's come in here, he's learned. He's out there calling plays, signaling receivers, making adjustments. He's picked things up very quickly and has a good rapport with all of the players and is willing to do whatever we've asked him to do. He works extremely hard."

The California native, who played four seasons at USC, was a third-round draft pick by the Browns in 2016.

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